Oblivion
by 04274
Summary: Chloe Beale has been in love with Beca Mitchell since the infamous shower incident, but the girl remains unaware of her feelings. Before Chloe has the chance to tell her, Beca kisses Jesse. Chloe disappears, returning to Barden at the start of Beca's junior year to do a Masters. What has changed in their year apart? Will Chloe finally get the girl?
1. Chapter 1

_Lincoln Center New York City_

 _ICCAs_

 _Beca's Freshman Year_

Beca had never been good at expressing her feelings, a fact that Jessie was well aware of at this point. Beca knew that he had spent the year pining after her, he put up with all her complaining and still insisted on giving her a moviecation despite her aversion to movies. Although Beca had resisted his endless enthusiasm and irritating jokes, by the end of the year she was happy to think of Jesse as one of her best friends. Jesse was the perfect guy: super nice, loyal, handsome, and he liked her… a lot. And despite pretending that she didn't need anyone in her life, Beca was lonely. She wanted someone that she could spend all her time with and learn to trust completely. So Jesse was the obvious choice, and Beca figured she might as well give Jesse a shot, she thought that at least if it didn't work out they could go back to being best friends.

So rather than telling Jesse about the development in her feelings, or at least what she thought were romantic feelings at the time, Beca expressed them the only way she knew how – through music. The homage to The Breakfast Club was for Jesse, Beca made sure he knew that she had actually watched the movie by doing this, and how significant that was for both of them. As soon as he recognised the lyrics Jessie made eye contact with Beca and put his fist in the air. She put her fist in the air in response. From that point onwards Beca knew the inevitable outcome of the Bella's final performance at the ICCAs. She bounded off the stage and made a beeline for Jesse.

"Told you, endings are the best part"

"You're such a weirdo"

She threw her arms carelessly around his neck and kissed him. Jessie's hands found her waist as she smiled into the kiss. In that moment Beca felt happy that she got her movie ending, but was also aware that something wasn't sitting right. Perhaps it was because she had been waiting for months for the kiss to happen that it would never be able to live up to her, admittedly rather high, expectations. Or maybe it was just because it was their first time kissing and they needed time to find each other's rhythm. Whatever the reason, Beca knew that although she was incredibly fond of Jesse, there was no spark between them. This should have been a clear sign that the pair were better as best friends than anything more, but Beca had very little experience in terms of boyfriends so figured her attraction to Jesse would grow with time and that a spark would come with it. It didn't even occur to her that he was not the person she should have been kissing. So Beca smiled at Jesse as he babbled about how great it was that they were finally "a thing"; she felt remarkably impassive about being Jesse's new girlfriend, but he was so certain that they were meant to be together that she simply hoped he was right and did her best to look at happy as he did in that moment. While Beca was overwhelmed by this rare expression of emotion, she completely missed Chloe's rapid exit off stage to the nearest door leading out of the building.

* * *

Chloe could feel her excitement build throughout the Bella's performance; as soon as they came off stage she was going to do it. Chloe was finally going to tell Beca that she was in love with her, and had been since that fateful day in the shower. Well, she was going to kiss her and hope that Beca felt the same way, and then maybe tell her about the extent of her feelings. Chloe knew that Beca let her get away with things she would never dream of letting the other Bellas do and how much that showed about their closeness. The two had been practically joined at the hip all year, and Fat Amy had even started calling them "Bhloe" rather than their own names. While Beca had rolled her eyes, Chloe loved it; she was thrilled that someone else had recognised the obvious chemistry between herself and Beca. So Chloe was excited, the bubbly red haired beauty was completely focused on how relieved she would feel once she had admitted to Beca that she was the reason that she had stayed single since the shower incident. As despite her popularity around campus, no one had caught Chloe's attention and been enough for her to say yes to. Because Chloe wanted Beca; she loved Beca with every fiber of her being.

When the Bellas finished their performance the sense of anticipation building in Chloe's gut was almost overwhelming. But before she had even had time to say a single word to Beca the tiny freshman was gone. Chloe was unable to look away as she saw the girl she loved kiss a boy who had relentlessly pursued her all year. Chloe felt her heart shatter irreparably and tears cloud her vision as she saw the look of sheer determination and possibly even a hint of desire in Beca's eyes. Chloe didn't think, she simply ran, out the nearest exit and felt herself crumple onto the pavement. For what felt like an eternity she sobbed, her entire body shaking with emotion. When Aubrey found her and scooped her up into a tight embrace Chloe had never been more grateful for the girl's friendship. She clung to Aubrey, and felt herself slowly begin to go from overwhelming pain to being completely numb. Chloe was in such agony that she could no longer feel anything at all. A blank look took over her features; her usually bright eyes dulled slightly, lacking their usual vibrancy.

Rather than celebrating the victory with the Bella's Chloe faked a migraine and went to her room. She spent the night adjusting her plans for the coming September to spare herself from further heartbreak. Chloe arranged to postpone her place on the Masters in Education course until a year later than originally planned, thus ensuring that the next time she would have to see Beca would be when she returned at the start of the girl's junior year. She then booked a flight to Zambia and found a place on a volunteering program at a school there. While Beca was at Jesse's dorm, doing things Chloe would rather not think about, Chloe sought out all the remaining Bella's and received an incredibly emotional send off from them all. Aubrey proceeded to drive her to the airport, both girls openly weeping as they knew Chloe would not be returning to the US for over a year. Chloe was distraught to be leaving Aubrey, as she was Chloe's entire support system and the best friend she had ever had, despite her neurotic tendencies. Throughout the flight Chloe found herself thinking of Beca, and felt a pang of regret at leaving her without so much as a goodbye. But Chloe knew that abandoning her was far less painful than having to watch her be happy with Jesse. So Chloe wept until there were no more tears left, and tried to think of the year ahead and how it would distract her from her broken heart.


	2. Chapter 2

_Barden_

 _Beca's Freshman Summer_

After their overwhelming victory at the ICCAs the Bellas had headed to Aubrey and Chloe's apartment to celebrate. Beca was excited to have some fun with her friends and most likely play those juvenile drinking games that she secretly loved. It may seem odd for a badass DJ to enjoy games like truth or dare, and spin the bottle, and even Beca wasn't aware of the reason she liked them. Or more accurately she refused to recognise why; they gave her an excuse to get closer to Chloe. Her best friend and the most wonderful person in the world, at least according to Beca. The games allowed Beca to learn even more about the redhead, and gave her an excuse to sit even closer to her on the couch than usual. Deep down she hoped that the pair would eventually "have" to get intimate as a dare. But now Beca was with Jesse, and she was in such denial about her attraction to the redhead that she genuinely didn't realise that she felt that way about Chloe. So while Fat Amy made a near poisonous concoction for all the girls to drink Beca waited. It never occurred to her that Chloe wouldn't show, that she was planning on abandoning Beca without so much as a goodbye. The bellas played round after round of games and Beca eventually ambled off to her her new boyfriend, too drunk to dwell on the noticeable aching feeling in her chest.

The next morning Beca sent Chloe a text asking if she was okay and asked whether she wanted to get lunch later. As bad as Beca was with feelings, she truly loved spending time with her favourite redhead, and was completely bewildered why Chloe hadn't already bombarded her with messages as she did on every other day. After a few hours Chloe still hadn't replied. Beca started to feel nervous, she wondered if something had happened to Chloe, or perhaps she was just busy with Aubrey. But deep down Beca knew that was absurd, Chloe usually replied before Beca had even had time to put her phone down; something Beca loved mocking her about. Beca took a deep breath, and called her, thinking that at least this way she would be able to tell from Chloe's tone if everything was okay. What she wasn't expecting was an automated voice telling her that the number was no longer in use. Beca felt like time had stood still, her pulse started to race and she felt tears threaten to fall down her cheeks. She did the only thing she could think of, she went straight to Chloe and Aubrey's apartment. She was met with a locked door and her frantic messages to Aubrey were read and not responded to, her calls declined. Beca was at a loss, twenty-four hours ago she had been smiling and laughing with both girls, feeling the happiest she could remember in a long time. She couldn't figure out what she could possibly have done since then to make Aubrey and Chloe so angry at her. She was completely unaware of Chloe's heartbreak, and Aubrey's protective streak making an appearance with a vengeance.

So Beca did the only thing she knew how to do when she was overrun with emotion; she sought comfort in music. She started a new mix of titanium, letting the memories of Chloe wash over her in waves, not realising how much time passed while she perfected her work. Long after dark Beca eventually succumbed to sleep, waking up the next morning to a tear soaked pillow and several very concerned messages from Jesse. She rolled her eyes, grabbed a snack and fell asleep again. After two days of constant mixing and moping Beca eventually let Jesse see her. She let the boy distract her from the absence she felt in her chest, she tried to focus on her budding relationship with Jesse rather than on the heartbreak she was unaware she was experiencing.

During the long flight Chloe took her phone and switched the SIM card with a new one. She knew this would give her a new number, would help her get a fresh start, and most importantly would prevent a certain aspiring DJ from contacting her. Chloe wasn't trying to hurt Beca, but she knew that so much as a conversation with the girl would sent her spiralling even further into a depressive stupor. And Chloe Beale was many things, but she was not the type of person to accept defeat. So once she had cried so much she became dehydrated she buried her love for Beca and focused on the future. As soon as she arrived in the village she would be spending the next year in she forced a wide smile to light up her features, and projected the bubbly persona that everyone loved her for. Chloe may have felt beyond awful, but to the villagers around her she was a wonderful volunteer who had a lot to offer, soon to be loved by all.

Chloe was lucky enough to be teaching the young children how to read music and sing, it was like a dream come true. She immersed herself fully in the children and soon formed a choir. The girl's efforts did not go unnoticed, another volunteer found himself unable to think of much else besides those bright blue eyes and luscious red hair. Charlie had also just graduated from college and he was volunteering at the school for a couple months before he started grad school. Chloe found herself drawn to Charlie, he was handsome and kind, and most importantly, he was not Beca.


	3. Chapter 3

_One month since the ICCAs_

Beca has successfully managed to schedule every minute of her day since a certain bella disappeared off the face of the earth, and has worked herself into exhaustion. Luke finally trusted Beca to set foot in the booth, and so she has been taking advantage of this opportunity and worked a shift at the radio station almost every day and or night. As she's progressed from being a lowly unpaid intern to an actual employee, Beca is earning a decent amount of money from her work. So when Jesse asks, she alternates between telling him that she's working so much for the extra money (which she can use to buy new equipment) or that playing her mixes will give her a chance to be noticed and kick start her career. Yeah even she can admit that the latter of the two is a little tenuous as the chances of a legitimate producer listening to a student radio station from a small university in Atlanta were slim to none. But denial is a powerful thing, and Beca is determined to make herself feel better and keeping busy seems to do that, at least temporarily. She just isn't ready to recognise that the cause of her misery is the absence of her best friend, or perhaps more accurately, former best friend.

When Beca isn't at the station she is with Jesse, the sweet boy who she is trying her very best to develop a romantic attachment to. She is incredibly fond of him, that much Beca is sure of. She just isn't as attracted to him as she thought before they got together. Beca knows that Jesse would never pressure her physically, but she is also aware that he has needs like every other college boy that she would probably have to take care of. Or he would, which would be even worse as then she would feel guilty about not being a girlfriend to such a great guy. Beca has never been a particularly sexual person, so she figured that maybe it might be because of her limited (and incredibly awkward) sexual encounters in the past that she is reluctant to go there with Jesse. So she lets him continue giving her a moviecation, they start to get intimate after the movies, but she leaves his dorm before any clothes are removed. But the last time they made out Beca could feel Jesse subconsciously pulling them closer, silently hinting that things go further. Beca knew that if she didn't eventually give Jesse some hope that she was interested in him physically that he would be incredibly hurt, and force them to talk about it. Beca was far more willing to go through another awkward sexual encounter than admit that there might be a bigger problem. Talking openly was never the answer for Beca.

While Beca tried to convince herself that sex with Jesse was a desirable outcome, she buried herself in music once again. She found herself feeling the urge to make mix after mix when she had free time, which admittedly was limited due to Jesse and her excessive and entirely self inflicted work schedule. With the stress of the ICCAs and all of the extra rehearsals Aubrey had insisted the bellas take part in, Beca hadn't had the chance to create a decent mix since before Spring Break. So she made the most of her inspiration while it lasted, and kept herself chained to her macbook, working through each creative impulse as it came. Although the genres of the songs Beca combined were incredibly versatile and certainly not songs that anyone would expect to go so well together, they all had a common theme. Or more accurately they were related to one or a few key topics: forbidden love, having an unrequited crush and or love, heartbreak, red hair, bright blue eyes. In short Beca, although completely unaware of it, was making mixes to process the absence of Chloe. The redhead who had, unknowingly for both of them, stolen Beca's heart.

One Beca had finished making another "completely random" mix that had no obvious inspiration whatsoever, she headed over to Jesse's dorm to give him the hope they both needed regarding the future of their relationship. Unsurprisingly Beca got a warm hug from Jesse, the boy so happy at her spontaneous and completely unprompted visit that he looked like Christmas had come early.

"Bec!"

"Hey!"

"It's so great you're here, what do you wanna do? Watch a movie?"

"Uh, sure, movie I guess."

After suffering through some godawful wannabe scary movie, Beca figured it was time to rip off the band aid and at least try to have a more physical relationship with Jesse. Even the thought of it was making Beca nervous, she had never seen herself as a prude so wasn't sure why she was feeling so reluctant at the prospect of sex. It's no big deal right? Jesse was a great guy, Beca was very fond of him, it made sense. Yeah. Total sense. Total bull, but Beca buried any nausea rising in her gut and took Jesse's hands in hers.

"Jess?"

"Yeah Bec?"

"Do you think we could uh…?

"Could what?

"Ummm…"

Crap. Shockingly talking about feelings was apparently not something Beca's brain would let her do. So she did the next best thing and tried to show Jesse what she was trying to say. She pulling him to her, perhaps a little forcefully, and kissed him with as much passion as she could muster up. They two had obviously kissed before, but this was the first time Beca had initiated it, so Jesse took that as a sign she wanted more. His hands started to wander from her waist to her butt, and then up to her breasts. His large hands cupping them felt surprisingly awkward. Beca stopped herself from flinching at the contact and tried to concentrate on showing Jesse the passion that he was showing her. So she did the easiest thing and copied him, letting her hands move across his surprisingly muscular torso. After a few minutes more of their "passionate" make out session Beca could feel another part of Jesse get excited. She couldn't quite acknowledge to herself what that was, but she had successfully let the boy get to second base so she counted that as a victory. Although she knew that she was too much of a wimp to take things further that night, but she had a plan. She swiftly pulled away from Jesse, letting him catch his breath.

"That was amazing Bec"

"Yeah, umm it was fun"

"No seriously, you are so good at all of this and I, well I can't wait for when we.. you know"

"Have sex?"

"I mean I didn't want to be so blunt about it, but yeah. You're amazing and I know that when we make love it will bring us closer together and help our relationship grow even stronger." Beca cringed, feeling guilty that she didn't reciprocate Jesse's feelings and also not loving him calling sex "making love" like they do in every corny 80s movie.

"I'm not ready for that yet Jess, but I will be soon. For now could we maybe take things slow?"

"Of course Beca, I want our first time to be special for both of us, and for that we both have to be ready. You've already opened up to me so much more than you would have a couple months ago, so I know you feel the same way even if you don't want to convey it yet."

He was so understanding, Beca felt infuriated. At least if he was a jerk about it she could have gotten mad at him and stormed off, not having to confront any more physical issues. As this thought came and went Beca realised she was being ridiculous; Jessie was her boyfriend so of course she liked him and wanted to be with him sexually. She was just nervous because she didn't have much experience. Yep. No other reason. Beca made plans with Jesse to go to a bar off campus that didn't card minors the following night. That way the two could get wasted and she would be too drunk to be nervous. Alcohol always solved a person's problems… or at least that's what Beca convinced herself.

* * *

Chloe had developed an eerily similar coping mechanism to Beca; instead of moping she had been throwing herself into teaching the children in the village. Although as Chloe was well aware of the cause of her inner turmoil, she was able to more effectively avoid confronting it. She focused solely on the choir and their upcoming performance to their parents, adding in extra rehearsals after school to ensure that each child knew all the words and felt happy about what they were singing. While the children were thrilled that someone as kind and wonderful as Chloe was devoting so much time to their development, it also made one of her colleagues become even more infatuated with her.

Charlie was inexplicably drawn to Chloe, and this was becoming more apparent as he got to know her a little better. As he taught children how to read and write Charlie let his mind drift to Chloe, and of the little observations that he had made over the last few weeks. For instance he knew that talking about singing and dancing would make Chloe smile, the kind that made him smile too. Her whole face lit up, with her eyes sparkling if that was possible. He loved seeing the joy radiate from her, and did what he could to try and trigger this reaction; Charlie just wanted the girl to be happy because of anything he did. Charlie had also accidentally found out that college was a huge sore spot for Chloe. He wasn't sure why but when he had asked her one day if she had every competed in singing competitions she mentioned that she was in an acapella group, and she quickly became quiet, and she looked overwhelmed with sadness. Over the next few days he realised that any college related questions would ensure that her tone would gain a despondency that had been previously lacking, and she would withdraw deep into thought. So although he was desperate to find out what had caused such a strong reaction, Charlie focused instead on making Chloe happy. As he figured once they became better acquainted Chloe would trust him and reveal at least a part of what had happened. The two had slowly become friends, as Charlie watched every choir practice and they ate lunch together so they spent a lot of their free time in each other's company. Charlie had hoped that Chloe would realise that he liked her, and not just as a friend, as his wilingness to help her and obvious affection were not exactly subtle. Yesterday he gave Chloe a bunch of her favourite snacks just so in case she got hungry. She smiled warmly at him and continued looking at sheet music. Charlie could have sworn that she was going to get up and maybe hug him, something he wished would happen just so he could be near her, but instead she stopped herself. Sadly it seemed that the usually astute redhead was distracted by something, and this prevented her from realising how he felt.

Charlie knew that the pair would have to separate in a couple months once the program ended and they returned to the US, so he figured he shouldn't waste any time they could spend together. Or that he should get the rejection over with so he could try and move on; as at this point he was completely infatuated with Chloe and knew that ignoring his feelings would not make them miraculously disappear. He finally plucked up the courage a few days later to ask Chloe to spend the upcoming Saturday with him. What he did not expect was for Chloe's response to be so out of character.


	4. Chapter 4

_The rest of Beca's Freshman Summer_

Beca was excited. Tonight she was going to drink herself into a state of oblivion and accomplish the ultimate act of intimacy without it getting awkward. At all. Surprisingly as an, albeit self-proclaimed, unbelievable badass Beca Mitchell took sex incredibly seriously. It was one of the reasons she had such little experience in that particular area; she knew that if you let someone have sex with you you're allowing them to see you in your most vulnerable state. Beca has spent has entire life hiding behind walls she constructed in every relationship, whether it be platonic or romantic, as she was scared of getting hurt. She figured that making herself vulnerable to anyone would give them ample opportunity to hurt her, and she just wasn't ready for that as she wasn't sure how she would recover. So her trepidation about getting intimate with Jesse was due primarily to her fear of him eventually hurting her. Obviously Jesse was not a bad guy, he was wonderful and kind, so Beca expected that he would hurt her eventually given the right circumstances. The fact that she didn't really feel the urge to touch him, like at all, was besides the point. And it never even occurred to Beca that she was the one who would end up being hurtful, but that was not a problem she would be facing in the immediate future. For now, Beca's only focus was on making an effort to please Jesse and make him happy, and she saw nothing wrong with that seeing as he had put up with her moodiness for months without a single complaint.

When Jesse came to pick Beca up from her dorm he was rendered speechless by what he saw. He had always known that Beca was beautiful, but the radiant beauty in front of him was so much more than that. The tiny DJ had put on her nicest black jeans, which only had a few rips across the knees, and her signature plaid. Her eyes were smoky and captivating, when she looked at Jesse it felt like she could read his mind, her smirk was a perfectly well timed response. Even her hair was perfect, styled to look effortless but the luscious tresses had been teased into loose waves that he just wanted to run his hands through. Little did Jesse know he would be granted that desire very soon. But what was most breathtaking about Beca was the aura of confidence and determination that was radiating from her. He didn't know what had made Beca feel this way, but he couldn't wait to see how the vibe progressed once they got to the bar and just relaxed. The fact Beca was putting on an act for his benefit was something that Jesse was completely unaware of; in his mind Beca was just excited to spend time with him.

At the bar conversation flowed surprisingly quickly, primarily due to Beca's low tolerance and the constant supply of jack and cokes that were bringing her closer to the oblivion she was seeking. Jesse was so happy to see Beca unguarded and relaxing around him, it looked like Beca was finally starting to trust him more than anyone else he had seen her with. Although he was not a cocky guy, Jesse was convinced that Beca's relaxed state was a sign that she wanted the pair to get closer in both an emotional and physical sense. In his defence Beca had been getting herself double JD&Cs every time he went to the bathroom or to request a song, so he had no idea how much alcohol she had consumed. And Beca, although her judgement was significantly impaired, was speaking coherently and her coordination remained unhindered. So to Jesse and any other bystander it just looked like Beca was having some drinks with her boyfriend and thoroughly enjoying his company.

So it felt natural that they took things back to his dorm. It wasn't forced, Jesse suggested they watched a movie (the Breakfast Club obviously) and Beca agreed with a rare absence of sarcasm. Far more true to form, Beca started to get bored very early into it and started to think of ways that she could end the torture and either fall asleep or leave. A little heartless perhaps as she was supposed to be enjoying her boyfriend's company, but for someone who hates movies Beca thought she was doing very well. It was at this point that the last few drinks she had consumed hit Beca all at once, and she went from being drunk to completely wasted. The way this manifested was through a single desire that started to pulse through Beca's entire body, rendering her entirely unaware of her surroundings. She needed satisfaction. Given the circumstances it's pretty obvious what kind. Beca wasn't consciously thinking at this point, it felt like she was floating and the only thing that was keeping her grounded (and conscious) was the feeling of her hand as it started to move across her body. When sober, Beca was very reserved about pleasuring herself, but in this moment she was barely aware that it was her own hand doing the touching. All she knew was that it felt good. After her hand moved further south she felt a mouth on hers and two more hands helping her get closer to the release she was seeking. She barely registered being carried to the bed and clothes being removed. Beca let her hands explore both herself and the source of her pleasure; Jesse. As he gently caressed her waist and peppered kisses on her hipbone Beca found her mind wandering. She kept seeing flashes of perfect red hair, and those blazing blue eyes that could make her do anything. She "heard" a women's voice in her ear, lovingly telling her how beautiful she was, that she had always wanted her, and that this would only be the beginning. The voice sounded surprisingly familiar, but Beca was far too inebriated to figure out the contents of this daydream, hallucination, or whatever else you want to call it. What Beca had actually heard was Jesse trying to make her relaxed and feel loved, and as she responded in the way he hoped, Jesse prepared himself and, as the song goes, "two became one". It was brief and gentle, and everything Jesse had hoped it would be as he wanted their first few times to be soft and romantic, before progressing to more adventurous positions. Beca had responded to his touch and been surprisingly assertive with her own. What was most surprising was that she stayed, and they fell asleep in each other's arms. In short, it had been Jesse's perfect evening.

Beca woke up feeling nothing but pain emanating from deep within her skull and threatening to drive her insane. Headache doesn't even begin to cover what Beca was experiencing, she didn't want to open her eyes or move in case that made things worse. She was so distracted that she didn't initially realise her exposed state, or the fact she wasn't alone. When the headache subsided enough for Beca to open her eyes slowly she became more aware of her surroundings. She was in Jesse's dorm, okay no big deal she had slept over before. But she had most certainly not woken to feel Jesse pressing into her, a fact she was now painfully aware of because of both their nudity. Beca wriggled out of the tight embrace Jesse had trapped her in and leapt out of bed. She picked up her clothes and made a beeline for the shower. When she returned Beca was that Jesse had woken and was looking at her with what she feared was love. What was scaring her was that she couldn't figure out why. The last few hours was a complete blank, Beca remembered being in the bar but none of the events after that.

"Last night was amazing Beca. You were amazing."

"Uhh.. thanks?"

"No seriously, I'm so happy that our first time was so special. You make me really happy Beca, I hope you know that."

"Yeah you too dude."

Jesse thought that Beca was just being bashful as she wasn't sure to confront her feelings yet, so he thought nothing of it when she suggested she go home and get changed. She did have a shift at the radio station in an hour after all.

Beca had never been so happy to have work. She needed to leave. First time? First time getting drunk together maybe? Jesse was acting weird and Beca wasn't in the mood to try and work out why. Her mind had other plans however, as Beca queued mix after mix in the booth the memories from last night slowly came back to her. Beca remembered being nervous and projecting a persona to try and convince herself that it would be okay. She remembered drinking way too much. Then things become more abstract. More of shapes and feelings than concrete memories. Beca knew she had felt an uncontrollable urge to touch herself, and that had lead to sex with Jesse. Once that bombshell was dropped Beca realised that she had not been aware of the fact Jesse had been the one touching her, as she had been entirely consumed by a hallucination. Beca couldn't remember who she had hallucinated about, but she hoped she remembered soon as she had never felt to aroused in all her life. Somehow the fact that Beca had been thinking of someone else while Jesse was giving himself to her, and the someone being a woman could suggest a bigger question regarding sexuality somehow slipped Beca's mind. She was busy trying to remember this mysterious person and think of ways to bring them back. Beca realised she needed to get drunk again, maybe having a similar night with Jesse to the previous night would evoke another hallucination. She texted Jesse and they made plans to go on another date the following evening, and Beca was overwhelmed with anticipation, ecstatic at the prospect of another encounter with a person who does not exist (at least from Beca's incredibly obtuse perspective).

For the rest of the summer Beca and Jesse developed a routine, alternating between sleeping, working at the station, and going on dates. It was the third of these that Beca looked forward to the most. She made sure that whatever they did alcohol was involved, as this meant she got to spend time with the abstract fantasy who was swiftly becoming her favourite person. So Jesse and Beca had progressed in their relationship to being intimate even more regularly than Jesse had hoped they might, and this was all down to Beca. The poor boy missed the warning signs completely, that they always had sex drunk, and that Beca was in an alcohol induced dream-like state every time. As the summer went on, Beca's "visions" started to become more concrete and it felt like she was getting closer to realising the identity of the person she was fantasising about. She felt like she knew them, and was actually being touched by them during her time with Jesse. Eventually flashes of red became familiar gorgeous red locks that tumbled down in effortless waves. A delicate collar bone that led to powerful and toned arms that Beca just wanted to wrap herself around. It should have been obvious who Beca was dreaming about. But as the dreams or hallucinations only took place when she was borderline blackout drunk, Beca could never fully remember what she had seen the next day, and was more overwhelmed with the feelings evoked by the "encounter" instead.

This all changed in the last week of summer, the day before Beca was due to move to a new dorm with Fat Amy. Beca was dreaming oddly enough of singing in the shower. She had started off with a rendition of Titanium that led to the only response that was appropriate given the choice of song, it had become her lady jam after all. The reason behind this Beca had still not worked out yet. Beca had not got far in her ministrations when she was interrupted. She heard a voice in her ear, whispering words of encouragement in a tone filled with lust that made Beca's stomach drop. Beca spun around and was face to face with the object of her hallucinations. She looked straight into eyes so intense that it felt like they were looking into her very soul. Beca averted her gaze downwards and saw the body that she had been lucky enough to witness months ago in a similar but less overtly sexual encounter. Seeing that perfect body made something click into place in Beca's brain. The person she had been fantasising about while she was sleeping with Chloe. Her best friend. Her best friend who had abandoned her three months ago without so much as a goodbye. Beca realised she is attracted to a girl who she will probably never see again. There is no way this will end well. Beca found herself feeling overwhelmed with panic and, most likely inspired by Chloe, Beca found the lone set of workout clothes she owned and went on a run. She hoped that maybe this would clear her head and figure out what an earth is going on with her.


	5. Chapter 5

The summer in Zambia

It had been one month since Chloe Beale ran away from heartbreak and got on a plane to Zambia. When she arrived she had been friendly, clearly a genuinely lovely person but nevertheless there was a sadness behind her eyes which was evident to anyone she interacted with. This combined with the subdued demeanour that she carried herself with indicated that Chloe was trying to cope with some sort of tragedy in her life. Although Charlie had instantly been attracted to Chloe and they spent a lot of time together, he still knew very little about her. When they did hang out there were brief moments when Chloe would wholeheartedly smile, her face lighting up, and Charlie could see that this was what she used to be like all the time. It was in these moments when she seemed relaxed happy. So Charlie did all he could to make sure that Chloe felt that way more often, as it truly was an amazing sight to behold and it felt good to know he could draw that out of her. But what he really wanted was for Chloe to tell him what had made her become so guarded and at times melancholic. She never complained, and was always smiling but the obviously disconnect behind her eyes was what concerned Charlie. He just wanted to know why the first girl he had liked in months had detached herself emotionally from those around her. All he knew was that it had something to do with college. When the topic came up Chloe's entire body tensed up and she would always swiftly change the topic, she was so guarded about it that Charlie didn't even know where she went to college. He also had no idea of her plans to return to Barden once the program in Zambia was completed.

Charlie had tried to subtly tell Chloe how he felt, but eventually he realised that the subtle approach was not going to get him anywhere, so he asked her out.

"Chloe"

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something?

"I mean you kinda already did, but sure go ahead. What did you want to ask?

"Would you uhhh… maybe… food… sunset… with me. Date. Umm yeah?"

"Could you say that again slower, I didn't catch what you said"

"Would you maybe like to go on a picnic with me at sunset, as a umm date?"

Chloe didn't say anything in response, instead she beamed and threw her arms into a tight hug. Charlie was so surprised that she had accepted without him having to ask again that he just smiled dumbly back. Once he snapped out of his daze he told her to meet her outside his hut at eight that evening.

The date was a completely success. Charlie did everything Chloe could have asked of him, and most importantly he provided a temporary distraction from Beca, who had been haunting Chloe's dreams and every waking hour since the night of that fateful ICCA performance. The pair had a picnic which Charlie had prepared, watched the sunset and got to know each other. Well, Charlie talked and Chloe listened attentively, offering her thoughts from time to time. But Chloe felt no desire to share personal details about herself, as she couldn't shake the thought that Beca was the last person who she had truly revealed herself to, and she knew it would take her a lot more time to recover from that particular friendship falling apart. So Chloe hadn't told Charlie even the most basic facts about herself, which meant she didn't like any of the food that he had brought for them. But still she didn't mind, as Charlie was the opposite of Beca; nothing about him reminded Chloe of her. The physical differences were very apparent, Charlie is a six foot classically handsome all American young man, with rich brown eyes, a thick head of dirty blonde hair, chiselled cheekbones and a strong jawline. His personality was also a total contrast to Chloe's favourite little DJ; he always openly conveyed his emotions, was very expressive and had no interest in singing. He was perfect… as a rebound. Chloe snapped out of her daydream when she realised that Charlie had been talking to her.

"I had a wonderful time with you Chloe, I hope you know that."

"Aww Charlie that's so sweet."

"Would you maybe like to do this again sometime?"

Their night didn't end with a kiss, but it did result in another date. The pair went on a string of dates over the next few weeks, which Chloe enjoyed immensely as they served their purpose as a distraction perfectly. Eventually Charles initiated a kiss, which was awkward but sweet. He wasn't a bad kisser, but Chloe just didn't feel a spark between them. She knew that she didn't like him anywhere near as much as he likes her, but she thought that maybe she could learn to be attracted to him over time once she get to know him better. So she continued to date him, and the makeout sessions became more frequent and started to gain more urgency each time. He was very good looking and Chloe could easily recognise that: Charlie was attractive but she just wasn't attracted to him. Although she felt terrible for giving the young man false hope by leading him on, she knew that she needed the distraction; their dates were the only time when Chloe stopped thinking about Beca, at least for part of them.

Chloe decided to do the only thing she could think of to make herself feel better, she skyped Aubrey. Just seeing the blonde on the screen was enough to make Chloe break down, she started sobbing uncontrollably and suddenly realised how much she had missed the girl she considered a sister. Her support system was thousands of miles away and seeing her again reminded Chloe of how nice it was to have such a wonderful friend. They had been catching up for the better part of an hour when the topic of romance, which Chloe had been doing her best to avoid, became prevalent.

"Have you made any friends out there Chlo?"

"Yeah I made friends with one of the English teachers, Charlie - he's a grad too."

"And? What's he like? Is he nice? I will make sure wolves get involved if he does anything that upsets you."

"Aww Bree that won't be necessary, Charlie is great. He's really gentle and kind, and kinda handsome too which helps."

"So does that mean you might be ready to move on from the hobbit?"

Silence.

"Okay I'll take that as a no... But maybe consider him? Being with someone new could really help you forget"

"Forget about being rejected by the only person I've been in love with? Yeah something tells me I won't be getting over that for a while Bree, you know that."

"Chlo, you never told her how you felt. I mean she is an idiot for not seeing it as literally all of the bellas and everyone else who's seen you two interact know how you felt. But she didn't reject you."

"So you're saying if I had told her she would have magically said she liked me back and everything would have been okay?"

"Chloe Elizabeth Beale."

"I know. I'm sorry Bree, you were just trying to help and I'm being awful to you. I just, I'm hurting all the time, and I still miss her so much. I don't think I realised how much time we spent together until we… stopped."

"Are you saying you regret going to Zambia?"

"No, it sounds horrible but I needed to get some space away from her and this enabled me to do that. It's just hard you know?"

"You know you could always talk to her Chlo. Maybe ignoring her completely is the reason you can't let go of her. And there's nothing wrong with staying friends, if anything, and this pains me to say, I think you need the hobbit in your life."

"Ughhhhh Breeeee. Fine. I'll put the SIM card back in my phone. And maybe I'll text her, maybe I won't. But at least then if she reaches out to me, which I doubt she will, then I'll see what she has to say."

The pair continued chatting until Aubrey had to go and prepare for a big presentation at her internship (at one of the biggest law firms in New York). Chloe was still crying but she was starting to feel better, she knew what she had to do, even though it would inevitably make her hurt more. She puts her American SIM back in her phone and restarted it.


	6. Chapter 6

_The night before Beca's Sophomore year_

Her talk with Aubrey gave Chloe to do something she had been scared to do since she got on a plane, she put her American SIM back in her phone and restarted it. As she saw the white apple come up the screen Chloe's mind went into overdrive.

 _Why am I doing this to myself?_

 _How will I deal with Beca not messaging me?_

 _What will the Bellas have to say about my disappearance?_

Finally the phone restarted and Chloe worried that it was broken as the screen froze for a few seconds. After that messages kept coming through, what looked like hundreds, from every one of the Bellas… and Beca.

 _Aubrey: Hope you landed on time and get to the village safely. Call me as soon as you can. You're doing the right thing. I love you Chlo xxx_

 _Fat Amy: Twig bitch where are you? Shawshank looks like someone insulted David Guetta._

 _Stacie: Chlo where are you? We're getting wasted and it's not the same without my favourite captain. Come back soon, baby Beca's getting grumpier than usual xo_

The messages continued like this from the night of Chloe's "disappearance" until a few days ago. They all expressed the same sentiment: "We miss you so much, what happened? Please come back." Chloe felt so touched knowing that her girls cared about her that much, as she loved them all like sisters. But when she had finally finished going through the messages from the Bellas Chloe plucked up the courage to see what Beca had to say to her. She expected sarcastic mocking, what she got instead sent her into a spiral of misery and despair.

The night of the ICCAs:

 _Chlo_

 _Where are you?_

 _Fat Amy's trying to give me alcohol poisoning_

 _Fine. I'll let you cuddle me whenever you want. Just come here kay?_

 _Chloe._

 _Did I do something?_

 _This is the best night of our college lives and I need my best friend here with me so I can celebrate_

 _Chlo please_

Chloe felt the tears clouding her vision as she listened to a voicemail from that night from Beca, and then another one the next morning, the hurt and confusion evident in her voice. Beca was never the one to text first, so being bombarded with this many messages made Chloe realise how much she must have meant to Beca, and how hurt she would have been by Chloe's sudden and unexplained disappearance. She continued scrolling through the messages, getting even more shocked by what she saw.

 _Chlo, I miss you._

 _Chloe please._

 _Whatever it is, we can talk about it_

 _Really?_

 _I'll call momma beale_

 _Wow you really must be mad if that didn't work_

 _I'll post photos you hate onto your instagram_

 _Yes I do know your password_

 _No I will not tell you how I know_

 _Chlo_

 _Please_

These messages were sent in the first week that Chloe was away, but after that Beca changed strategy, sending Chloe at least one message every day.

 _Chlo I won't stop trying_

 _Today Jessie made me watch the Breakfast Club again_

 _I made a mix today that you would like, it was an homage to David Guetta_

 _I forgot to call my dad and he yelled at me_

 _There was a thunderstorm and I had to hide under the covers by myself_

 _I can't sleep without my comforter_

 _Obvious alert: you're the comforter_

 _I think I need to sleep more_

 _Today I fell asleep mixing in the middle of the day_

 _I can't stop thinking about you_

 _I miss you so so much_

 _Please stop making me deal with this feelings crap_

 _My reputation as a badass is starting to suffer_

 _I've been trying to figure out what I did to make you so mad at me_

 _Am I being a total narcissist? Does this even have anything to do with me?_

 _Have you joined a cult?_

 _I could totally see you accidentally doing that just fyi_

 _You're really important to me, in case you didn't realise_

 _I just remembered I'm gonna have to lead the Bellas by myself next year_

 _We're going to fail everything_

 _Even the Highnotes will beat us_

 _You have to come back and help me not screw up_

 _I can't lead people_

 _I hate people_

 _What if no one auditions?_

 _What if they do audition but everyone sucks?_

 _Can the Bellas work with less than ten people?_

 _Would it really matter if I just quit the Bellas and move to LA?_

 _It's been a year, my Dad did say he would help me_

 _What am I gonna major in?_

 _What's the easiest major you can think of?_

 _I'm sorry am I boring you? Maybe a reminder of your best qualities would work better_

 _Your hair is perfect without you trying (yes I did paraphrase Bruno Mars)_

 _Your eyes are the most captivating thing I've ever seen_

 _Like I'm pretty sure when I look into them you're reading my mind_

 _You keep me sane_

 _You listen to all my crap and never complain_

 _You're kind_

 _You're generous_

 _You light up a room_

 _You are literally my favourite person (don't tell Fat Amy or Jesse)_

 _I don't hate it when you force us to cuddle_

Chloe lost it completely when she saw the final message from Beca, sent this morning. She started sobbing so much that her shoulders wouldn't stop shaking, and she could barely see through the tears. She knew Beca considered Chloe her best friend, but Chloe hadn't realised she'd had such an effect on the adorable little freshman. Chloe realised that ignoring Beca had probably made Beca doubt their entire friendship and assume it was her fault. And even though Beca was the one who had caused Chloe's heartbreak, the redhead's sudden disappearance most likely made Beca feel a huge amount of pain that she had done nothing to deserve.

After what felt like an eternity of staring at her phone, Chloe finally plucked up the courage to type. She decided to start simple, test the waters.

 _Chloe: Hey_


	7. Chapter 7

_The night before Beca's Sophomore year_

It turns out there's a reason people exercise, it's an amazing stress way to alleviate stress. As soon as she realised that Chloe had been the subject of her fantasies and the deeper meaning of that Beca had felt completely overwhelmed. She needed to do something, literally anything, that would distract her from it. Beca's solution to any given problem was usually to make a mix, but she knew that doing so this time would just make her think of Chloe even more, and most likely result in yet another titanium mix. So she thought of one of Chloe's favourite hobbies outside of acapella: running. Beca was not exactly the active type, but thanks to Aubrey's insistence on doing cardio last year Beca had one set of workout clothes that would enable her to go on a run and hopefully clear her head. Once she got into the rhythm of running Beca found herself focusing on attempting to keep a steady pace and stop herself from blatantly panting; that would be beyond mortifying as campus was starting to fill with returning students. She was so preoccupied with doing so that she had completely forgotten about Chloe, and gradually she felt the weight of emotion lighten a little. Due to her aversion to exercise Beca sound found herself sweating and feeling drained. She took that as her cue to stop for a breather, and it was at that moment that she felt her phone vibrate. She figured it would probably be Jesse wanting to hang out or make plans for the next few days, so planned on replying once she get home. But, for some inexplicable reason, Beca felt the need to check the message. What she saw made the colour drain from her face and her pulse to race at an alarming rate.

 _Chlo: Hey_

Beca nearly dropped her phone from shock. She stared at it for a few seconds completely dumbstruck, although in her mind it felt like an eternity. Beca started to feel lightheaded and kept rereading the message to check that she hadn't hallucinated the whole thing. Judging by recent events that wouldn't have been much of a stretch. But no, Beca was certain that it was real. For whatever reason, Chloe had finally decided reach out. A part of Beca was still so hurt with her former best friend for abandoning her and rejecting her attempts at communication that she was tempted to ignore the text. Give Chloe a taste of what it feels like to be ignored. But the thought of ignoring her favourite redhead made Beca's stomach turn, she knew that was not an outcome she wanted. Chloe had hurt Beca, so deeply that she wasn't sure how long it would take for her to fully recover, if at all. But she was Chloe Elizabeth Beale. The most wonderful person Beca had ever met, and that was regardless of any attraction that Beca may be feeling towards her. Beca felt her thumbs move of their own volition, with a total disconnect with her conscious thoughts. Beca looked at her phone again and saw that she had replied.

 _Beca: Hey_

So maybe it would have been better if Beca had actually put some thought into her reply. She hadn't heard from Chloe in three months and all she could manage was the same monosyllabic message as the one she had received. Beca rolled her eyes in frustration at herself. But she also was slightly glad, as she didn't want to bombard Chloe with messages and make her panic and ignore her again. Beca knew she couldn't go through that again, not now that she had some hope that the two could be friends again. Beca's jumbled thoughts were interrupted by her phone vibrating again. Although she should have known it would be signifying a text from Chloe, Beca still felt the same intense physical reaction as she experienced before, with the added bonus of a shiver running down her spine. Beca hadn't felt this on edge in years, and that was saying something.

 _Chlo: I know I owe you an explanation for leaving, but for now could we skip that and just talk? I've really missed you Beca_

Beca felt herself simultaneously thrilled and frustrated with the message. Chloe acknowledged that she needed to explain herself, but refused to do so. Why? And what exactly did she want to talk about that didn't concern her disappearance? The two no longer had the bellas in common and without the aid of one of Beca's mixes the two would only be making small talk. Something Beca truly hated, she wasn't even sure she could make an exception for Chloe. And then there was the fact that Chloe missed her, Beca felt her whole face light up of its own accord as she read the sentiment, but her joy was short lived. Her smile dropped when she read the final word of the text: "Beca". Chloe never called Beca that, she was always coming up with new nicknames for her favourite little DJ, or stuck with the classic "Becs", or even "Bec". So the lack of any term of endearment or nickname made Beca realise, or more accurately confirm what she already suspected: she was responsible for Chloe's disappearance. Beca was beyond frustrated at this point. She needed to know what she had done wrong. Her thumbs made the decision for her.

 _Becs: I've spent the last three months thinking about what I could have done to stop you from leaving. I've really missed you. Please come back and talk to me. I need my best friend back_

Those four sentences from Beca meant everything to Chloe, and she felt her cheeks wet with tears in a matter of seconds. She knew that Beca was not one to express any sort of emotion that wasn't contempt, so she was painfully aware that Beca must have been truly hurt if she was willing to be so open and honest with Chloe. Part of Chloe had wanted that, she had called her "Beca" after all, she figured that Beca's reaction would be a good way to judge how she was getting on. What Chloe hadn't expected was that Beca was so hurt, she knew the brunette so well that her message practically screamed it. Chloe had been so wrapped up in her feelings for Beca and the fact that Beca had chosen Jesse that she had forgotten the impact she must have had on the freshmen, sophomore now Chloe supposed. Chloe had forgotten that first and foremost she had played a significant role in Beca's freshman year of college, they had spent time together almost every day and been best friends – much to Aubrey's chagrin. It was with this realisation that Chloe made a decision, she owed Beca an explanation. Well, part of one. Chloe wasn't willing to tell Beca why she had left, but she could at least tell her where she was.

 _Chloe: I had already made the decision before finals, you did nothing wrong. I've missed you too. I'm teaching children how to sing and read music in Zambia. I didn't see your messages until today as I changed my number. I'll be back in the US in a couple months_

Chloe felt terrible. She reread her message and saw how cold she sounded, she knew Beca would be second guessing herself after seeing it. But Chloe was still utterly heartbroken, and she wasn't ready to go back to being her former bubbly self just yet. She needed more time to heal, and she hoped that maybe the occasional text conversation could help with that. At the very least she couldn't become more heartbroken, so that was a small positive, a silver lining if you will.

Beca read Chloe's latest text and could feel herself panicking. Chloe had said it wasn't her fault, but she sounded like an entirely different person. There were no emoticons or the usual acronyms mixed in, and it sounded all too formal. It was as if Chloe was texting an acquaintance, not her former best friend. Beca may be oblivious about a lot of things, but the message here was very clear: in some way she was at fault and had played a part in Chloe's decision to leave. And whatever she had done must have been beyond awful as it had driven Chloe to get on a plane and flee thousands of miles away. Beca did feel herself smile a little at the thought of Chloe surrounded by children, who were lucky enough to witness even a little bit of Chloe's talent and kindness. Suddenly Beca felt her eyes brimming with tears and she abruptly resumed her run. She needed the time it would take to reach her dorm to process the message and let the pain it caused her subside a little before she felt able to reply. A few minutes later she took a few deep breaths, partly from the rare physical exertion and partly to pluck of the courage to do what needed to be done. She replied, being careful not to push Chloe when she clearly wasn't ready to talk about leaving yet. If she hadn't felt so frustrated Beca would have felt more than a little proud of herself for showing so much patience. It looked like this was yet another thing Chloe could make her do that was completely out of character. Beca managed to completely avoid the topic she most wanted to discuss, hoping that doing so would keep the redhead talking to her.

 _Becs: That sounds amazing Chlo, I bet the children love you. Have you forced any of them to sing acapella yet? I can't go months without speaking to you_

Chloe was completely perplexed by Beca's reply. She hadn't even mentioned why Chloe had left, or the fact she had ignored all of Beca's messages. She felt a little hurt at this, as she thought that if Beca was truly concerned about it she would ask. But another part of her was relieved, as she definitely wasn't ready to talk about it yet. And if Beca had brought it up Chloe wasn't sure if she would have been able to continue the conversation. As things stood Chloe felt able to continue talking to Beca, and started to hope that maybe the pair would be able to communicate on a regular basis. Although Chloe knew she shouldn't get ahead of herself, as nothing had changed. She was in love with Beca. Beca had chosen Jessie. Chloe could not be with Beca in the way she wanted and so desperately needed to be. So Chloe could kid herself all she liked, but any relationship that she was salvaging with Beca was purely platonic, and if she forgot to remind herself of this Chloe knew she would just continue to get hurt.

 _Chloe: They're so wonderful Becs, some of them are really talented too which is great. I've set up a choir, but no one was forced to join I promise! Me neither_

 _Beca: Maybe you could film them singing sometime and send it to me? I would love to see how you've helped them. Would a weekly call be too much? Hearing your voice is so much better than text_

 _Chloe: Of course Becs, that's a great idea and they'll actually be putting on a show in a few weeks so I'll get someone to film it. Awh you've lost all badass points now Mitchell. We could definitely try that_

 _Beca: Can't wait to see it! Nope, still a badass Beale. Thanks for letting me in again, it's been weird not having anyone violating my personal space_

 _Chloe: I think violating is a little strong Becs. You're just sharing your space with me that's all. And you know what they say about sharing. I have to go now, but I'll call you in a week. Bye Becs_

 _Beca: If you say so Chlo. I'll hold you to that. Bye Chlo_

After the initial messages that were wrought with tension and thinly veiled hurt on both sides, things began to reflect some semblance of normality. The tone lightened, nicknames were used and it felt easy. Beca hoped that Chloe would start to open up to her, and that maybe they could slowly work their way back to being best friends. Once she put her phone down Beca became aware that she had been standing in the middle of her room, damp with sweat and still in her workout clothes. She hopped in the shower and smiled to herself. One brief conversation with Chloe Beale and Beca was already starting to feel a little better. She ignored the fact that three months with Jesse had failed to serve as anything but a distraction. Instead she let the hot water run down her body and sighed, her thoughts returning once again to the dazzling redhead.


	8. Chapter 8

_The first week of Beca's Sophomore year_

Beca had never been one to hoard items out of sentimentality and she had never been more grateful; moving into her new dorm room took under an hour and gave her the chance to take a nap before her boisterous friend arrived. Beca's dad had insisted on "helping" her move her stuff the five minute walk from her old from to the new one, but as soon as Beca had finished putting her things where she wanted them she pushed him out and heaved a sigh of relief. The two's relationship had significantly improved over her freshmen year but that didn't mean that Beca's was willing to spend any more time with the man than she had to. There really wasn't much to talk about with someone who things teaching comparative literature to apathetic college students for a living is a meaningful profession. The obvious disdain in her aspirations of DJing definitely didn't help things. But the pair were able to spend the odd hour together every second week or so without too many arguments arising.

Beca had barely put her head on the pillow when she felt herself being crushed and unable to breath.

"Shawshank!"

"Hmphh"

Beca couldn't get a single coherent word out as her larger than life Australian roommate was currently lying on top of her, pushing her petite frame deep into the mattress. The pair swiftly caught up on their summer, no mention of Jesse, before they ran out of the dorm. It was time for the activities fair, something Beca had tried her best to avoid.

"Is this really necessary? Like people won't want to join if I'm scowling at them so I might as well just stay home."

"Awhh who's a grumpy shortstack. You're such a grumpy shortstack. And nope you're not avoiding this cause if the freshmen have to be amazed by my sexy ass then they will need you to keep them from swooning."

"Fat Amy! I'm not a baby. And why are all the freshmen lesbians all of a sudden? Cause I'm pretty sure that's not how it works."

"Could've fooled me Shawshank. You've been pretty whiney so… Why would they be lesbians? Anyone can appreciate my hotness, it's not a sexual thing just a bonus of having eyes and good taste. Like this one time…"

Beca zoned out, not quite mentally prepared for another one of Fat Amy's incredibly far-fetched stories that she would rather not know were true. She took her phone out quickly and texted the only person she knew would give her some sympathy. If she replied that is, Beca didn't want to push her relationship with Chloe but she figured a few casual text conversations could help speed things along and get them back to normal as soon as possible.

 _Beca: Hey Chlo. You've probably memorised the Barden calendar, but today is the activities fair. What's a good way for me to get out of it? Could you get Posen to terrify freshmen instead? Not feeling the need to take charge, like at all. Miss you_

"Who are you texting? Mysterious boyfriend? Ooh you're blushing… I'm definitely right! Why didn't you tell me? How hot is he. If he's fine you better share just saying."

"Fat Amy you can't share boyfriends, like I'm pretty share that's not a thing. Also I'm not texting a mysterious boyfriend so It's kinda irrelevant. I.. uhh… I was texting Chloe."

A rare silence followed, Fat Amy unsure how to respond. None of the Bellas, other than Aubrey, knew the reason for Chloe's disappearance or where she had gone. Although Fat Amy was more astute than she was given credit for, so was well aware of Chloe's feelings for Beca and suspected that her grumpy roommate was the cause of Chloe's departure, and that she would be completely oblivious of what she thought was an obvious face. Fat Amy knew that pushing Beca and teasing her relentlessly, although incredibly fun and entertaining, was not the way to handle this situation. Eventually shortstack would figure out that she had a big ol' toner for a certain redhead, but in the meantime she wanted to find out where things stood between the two girls so that she could report back to the other Bellas and they could hatch a plan for the reconciliation and hopeful "adult" ending.

"How's ginger doing these days? I miss her, and she makes you less grumpy."

"I'm not that grumpy, I think the word you're looking for is badass, or whatever. She's teaching kids how to sing and read music in Zambia."

It took the two the rest of the journey to the activities fair for Beca to catch Fat Amy up on Chloe's activities. As the new captain of the Bellas, Beca had to stay at the activities fair all day, with different Bellas switching in to join her throughout. The first shift was Fat Amy and Beca, the latter still grumbling about the fact she'd had no say in becoming captain. As the latest winners of the ICCAs, the Bellas' stand had a lot of freshmen signing up for auditions, to Beca's chagrin, she figured the more people auditioned the longer she would have to sit and listen to the majority of them crucify a perfectly good song. What Beca was completely unaware of was the looks she was getting from a fair amount of the student body, some out of the acapella circle. The acapella enthusiasts looked at Beca with something that resembled awe, at the girl who had quickly gained a degree of notoriety for dragging the Bellas into the twenty first century as a mere freshmen.

The non-acapella students interest in Beca was far more superficial; Beca had always been attractive, but somehow this summer there was something different about her. Beca had an aura that had started to draw people to her, and the ear monstrosities had been switched out to softer jewellery and the eye liner reduced a little, making her more approachable than before. Her whole vibe screamed apathy and borderline disdain, something that made more college students want to figure out, and be the exception to. This was the case for freshmen Daisy Williams. Thanks to her Norwegian ancestry, Daisy had natural platinum blonde hair, rich brown eyes, prominent cheekbones and a delicate frame. She was the type of girl who had guys and girls alike lusting over, her genuine personality making many of them fall for her. Daisy wasn't arrogant by any means, but she was certainly used to people responding to positively to her. Daisy had always loved singing and was keen to meet other likeminded girls, so it made perfect sense for her to try acapella and join one of the groups at Barden. She had read about them all before going to the fair so that she could make sure she joined the group that she was the best fit for. The Barden Bellas had been an incredibly appealing option in the activities fair pack. ICCA champions was a very impressive accomplishment and Daisy had already heard about their enigmatic leader who had taken charge in her freshmen year and made sure the Bellas succeeded. Daisy had been very curious about her, and was very excited to meet her. She spotted the Bellas' stand and approached nervously. The first thing Daisy noticed was one of the most attractive girls she had ever seen. It wasn't just her physical appearance, but there was just something about her that made Daisy want to learn everything about her. This girl was clearly engrossed in something else, focusing solely on typing on her phone, completely unaware of the freshmen standing in front of her.

"Shawshank?" This was spoken by a large blonde girl and looked like it was addressed to the girl Daisy was staring at, in what she hoped wasn't a creepy way. She thought maybe Shawshank was a nickname, but seemed like a very odd choice. And it definitely didn't seem to fit the beautiful brunette that in front of her. Maybe there was a story behind it, or perhaps the girl just really liked the movie Shawshank Redemption. Daisy was snapped out of her reverie when mysterious girl started to speak.

"Huh? What is it Fat Amy?

"There's another freshmen here."

"Oh.. Right."

The girl looked up, staring directly at Daisy with deep blue eyes that felt like they were staring into her soul.

"Are you looking to audition for the Bellas?

"I… uh… yeah… I love singing." Daisy cringed, she sounded so awkward and the girl probably hated her already. The figured she should probably elaborate a little and fill the awkward silence.

"I'm Daisy, I'm new here."

"Yeah I figured. You look like a freshmen. Beca."

Daisy's stomach dropped a little at this. Did she look young? Was she being immature? This girl… Beca, was making her doubt herself in a way she never had before. Beca definitely didn't like her, her answers were nearly exclusively monosyllabic and as short as possible. Daisy hoped that maybe she would be able to make Beca come around if you got into the bellas.

"Umm, do I sign up here?"

"Yep—" Beca's phone started to ring, she glanced at it. Once she saw the name of whoever was calling her whole demeanour changed. Her face lit up and her eyes sparked with anticipation. Daisy stood there awkwardly while Beca answered the phone, curious about the person who could evoke such a strong reaction in the enigmatic girl.

"Chlo?" Beca laughed, a melodic sound that was completely different to the abrupt and slightly sharp responses that she had given to Daisy. Beca was smiling to herself as she listened to the person speaking on the phone.

"Ugh yeah it's the worst. There are so many freshmen that just love singing and want to be a Bella and join a sisterhood or whatever. Like why? Synchronised lady dancing really isn't that great…"

"You know full well why I joined. You would have hunted me down, or forced me to sing titanium again." At that remark Beca started to blush, her cheeks suddenly crimson and her previously cool and unaffected demeanour had shattered. Beca was flustered, and it was adorable. Daisy was desperate to learn how she could make Beca react to her that way.

"You heard what?"

"I am not mysterious. I just like privacy and avoid human interaction."

"You didn't let me avoid you, that's different."

"Yeah I still have a few hours stuck here, then it's my shift at the station."

"There's one here now."

"Yeah, I know. I'll get back to it now."

"I could call you for longer later?"

"Bye Chlo, love you."

Beca uttered that last line so casually that Daisy was trying to figure out who this Chlo was, and what she meant to Beca. The girl didn't seem like the type to say she loved anyone casually, so this person must mean a lot to her.

"Who was that?" Daisy blurted it out before she could stop herself.

"Her other best friend." The blond girl responded for Beca. Daisy felt herself relax at this.

"Oh, uh that's nice?" Great, super awkward reply Daisy. She cringed to herself.

"Yep. Here's the sign up sheet, see you at auditions." Beca's utterance to her was short and was definitely her cue to leave. Daisy signed up and walked away in a daze, wrapped up in what she had learned so far about Beca. Daisy had never been interested in girls in any way beyond platonic friendship before, but she knew that her feelings about Beca were certainly not limited to wanting a potential friendship. And that thought was terrifying.

"Ooh looks like someone's got a crush." Fat Amy sounded amused at herself as she grinned mischievously at Beca.

"What? Who?" Beca was genuinely perplexed at this as she had only spoken to freshmen all day. And her phone call with Chloe had been far too brief, and certainly not what Fat Amy would be referring to.

"That girl who just left, Daisy. She had a big ol' toner for you."

Beca snorted at this, finding it absurd that girl would see her that way. Beca had tried to keep the interaction as short as possible and probably come across as being mean, bitchy etc. Beca wasn't concerned about this, she just noted that she hadn't exactly been friendly.

"No seriously shortstack, she kept staring at you. And she hovered."

"I think you're seeing things Fat Amy."

"If you say so…"

The rest of the day passed without any eventful occurrences, just more signups and a multitude of eye rolls from Beca.

Beca spent the next few days moving between her bed, Jesse's dorm and the radio station. She made sure to spend time with the other Bellas as much as possible too, Beca hated to admit it but she had really missed them over the summer, particularly Fat Amy and Stacie. She had even been getting coffee with the pair daily, with Jesse joking that she was dating them rather than him. Beca had laughed but was also well aware that he wasn't entirely wrong with his observations, as she had been doing a stellar job of avoiding him since the start of the semester. It's not that she didn't like him anymore, but Beca just wasn't sure what to say to him now that she knew she was thinking about a certain redhead every time she got "intimate" with Jesse.

Beca knew she wasn't being fair to Jesse. She had to break up with him, but finding the right time was proving to be far more difficult than she had anticipated.


	9. Chapter 9

_First Semester Beca's Sophomore year_

Over the first few weeks of the semester Beca completely immersed herself in the Bellas, determined to use them as a distraction from her impending breakup with Jesse. She had been on the verge of breaking up with him on four separate occasions in the week following the activities fair, but she couldn't go through with it as it would be like kicking a puppy. Once Beca realised that she wouldn't be able to the one to break up the relationship she tried a new tactic. She knew that it was a low move but she figured it would be worth it if it worked. Beca tried to do everything in her power to make Jesse break up with her, focusing on being difficult to get hold of and no longer changing things about herself in order to make him happy. The first thing to go was movies. Beca had always hated them and she was more than happy to start completely refusing to watch them. But Jesse just suggested they hang out instead, which was worse as it resulted in them talking or sleeping together, two things that she wasn't really interested in anymore. What Beca found the most difficult thing to come to terms with was the fact that she no longer had any romantic feelings for her boyfriend, and she was starting to find him irritating instead of endearing and kind. She found herself looking forward to the Bellas auditions as they would at least be a distraction.

As the reigning ICCA champions, Beca along with the rest of the Bellas sat at the front of the auditorium and were given the honour of choosing the audition song. As captain and resident DJ the decision fell to Beca who was happy to oblige. Her choice made sense considering she had been missing a certain redhead a lot lately, particularly on the anniversary of their shower encounter. Beca felt creepy that she had even remembered considering she was usually so bad with dates, but she had spent the day singing Titanium under her breath. So when asked which song she wanted the auditionees to sing Beca responded without hesitation.

"Titanium, if you don't know it get out."

Daisy had been watching nervously from the wings and could clearly see Beca from her viewpoint. The sophomore looked confident and relaxed, but what Daisy was most intrigued by was Beca's expression as she announced the audition song. Her face lit up and her eyes sparkled with mischief. There was clearly a memory connected with the song, Daisy was desperate to find out precisely what it was. Although nervous her voice was certainly impressive, and even Beca acknowledged that the girl was talented, and would make a decent replacement for Aubrey. Halfway through her audition Daisy saw Beca take her phone out, she tried to ignore the hurt she felt. The girl she maybe liked thought she was so bad that she stopped listening to her altogether. Daisy was unaware that Beca was using her phone to record Daisy's singing and sent it to someone she knew would appreciate it.

 _Beca: Hey Chlo, happy anniversary! Sort of, seeing as it was actually yesterday. Oh right yeah sorry, the anniversary of Titanium and you know… "all that". I picked Titanium for the audition song and this girl sounds a little like Aubrey. What do you think?_ * attaches the recording *

The reply came no more than two minutes later, while Daisy was walking off the stage feeling a little dejected.

 _Chlo: Hey Becs! Awh you remembered, I was going to text you but thought you might find it weird. Turns out you're the weird one (and I love that!) She is aca-awesome! You have to pick her, what else do you know about her? Do you think she would be a good fit for the Bellas?_

 _Beca: Nope you're still the weird one Chlo. Okay great I'm glad you thought she was good too, I wouldn't pick her if you didn't approve. I mean this is the first time I've seen her so I don't know? She looks harmless enough so I'm sure she'll be fine_

 _Chlo: I have to get back to the kids, but I'll call you later. Bye Becs xo_

Beca: Bye Chlo x

Beca felt her heart start to race a little at the added "xo", this new development was something she felt inexplicably happy about and she tried to respond the best she could so Chloe didn't think it was a big deal (even though in Beca's mind it was a huge deal). Beca was so happy that she was starting to repair things with Chloe, and their weekly calls had certainly been helping with that. Beca loved hearing about Chloe's antics with the kids and her friend Charlie, she sounded great and Beca was so glad Chloe had made a friend when she was so far away from all her friends at Barden.

Time flew by and suddenly it was hood night. Daisy had been desperately trying to "accidentally" bump into Beca in the intermediary with no success. Beca didn't hang out in any of her usual places, and Daisy was struggling to guess where else she could look. She had given up and headed back to her dorm. She opened the door and felt a presence behind her, suddenly everything went black. Daisy knew she had some sort of sack over her head, but it took the voice behind her to snap her out of the mild terror she was starting to experience.

"Congrats dude. You're in. Oh, you're in to the Bellas."

"REALLLYY! That's amazing thanks so much for accepting me!" Daisy babbled on to who she thought was Beca as she was lead to the initiation, so overwhelmed and excited that she would have a legitimate reason to spend time with her. The initiation was short as there were only the two freshmen being initiated, Daisy and a red-headed girl called Jade. Daisy hoped that as the only two freshmen the two would become close friends. After the initiation and the party with all the other acapella groups Daisy was ushered by Fat Amy to an after party at her dorm. Daisy couldn't believe her luck when it turned out that this was also Beca's dorm. The Bellas piled into Beca and Fat Amy's dorm and swiftly made room on the floor by pushing the beds onto opposite walls. No one questioned how Lilly had appeared from nowhere, or why she was suddenly brandishing enough vodka and mixer to get them all blackout drunk. It was decided that a game of never have I ever was needed to get to know the two new Bellas. Daisy sat down, Jade on one side and Stacie on the other, with Beca one along from Stacie. Daisy soon gave up trying to learn all the Bellas names as they spoke, focusing instead on the questions being asked and Beca's responses, desperate to learn what type of girl she was based off of them.

"Never have I ever…

"Won the ICCAs"

"Cheated in a test"

"Worked at a radio station" – Beca drank to all.

Although they started boring and tame, the questions started to get more sexual and soon a pattern of targeting emerged. Daisy realised that the other Bellas, particularly Fat Amy and Stacie, were trying to get Beca drunk by targeting her. Daisy asked Stacie about it and apparently drunk Beca is a sight to behold and they all wanted to see it. Daisy felt bad but after hearing this she also wanted to see what Beca would be like when intoxicated, and the process of her getting to that state would also be beneficial, as Daisy would learn more about her. Daisy started to learn even more about Beca than she could have hoped.

"Never have I ever…

"Messed with a Bellas set during an ICCA performance"

"Had a toner for a treblemaker"

Daisy didn't know what a toner was but judging by the chuckle when it was said and Beca's blush in response she figured it must be something sexual.

"Worn ear monstrosities"

"Made a move in the Lincoln Centre"

"Unintentionally made by boyfriend jealous with my bestfriend"

Beca didn't initially drink at this but with a lot of not to gentle nudging from Stacie and Fat Amy proceeded to drink. Daisy noted that she looked a little sad at the mention of this mysterious best friend. Daisy wondered when she would get to meet her, as she must be something special to have such an impact on Beca.

"Shared a bed with someone other than my boyfriend"

At this Beca rolled her eyes at Stacie and actually whined in response.

"Cuddled a certain someone every night for a month."

Beca's reaction to this suggestion from Fat Amy was the most entertaining of all.

"Guys. Seriously! You're the worst. I hate you all. And we do not cuddle that often!" Beca was pouting and looking incredibly frustrated, Daisy found it both entertaining and oddly attractive. It showed that whoever Beca was cuddling with was Beca's vulnerable area, her weak spot. Daisy found it comforting to know that she had one. Suddenly Fat Amy took her laptop out and opened the photos app. She had made a "Bhloe Cuteness Overload" album that she proceeded to open. Suddenly Fat Amy shushed the girls and gestured to the screen.

"Now guys, look at these photos carefully, and you'll see that there is a time stamp on the bottom so Shortstack can't argue with me."

Amy proceeded to show them fifty photos on consecutive days. Daisy was stunned at what she saw. In every photo Beca was sharing a bed with the most gorgeous redhead she had ever seen. This must be the best-friend that had been mentioned a few times, maybe the one that Beca had spoken to on the phone during the activities fair. Daisy couldn't take her eyes off the photos, as they showed a side of Beca that she had never expected was there; the only way she could describe it was that it looked like she trusted the person next to her with her life. She looked completely at peace with the world, and had somehow managed to smile more in her sleep than Daisy had every seen while she was awake. In some of the photos Beca was the big spoon, with her head nuzzled against the other girl's shoulder and her arms wrapped tightly around her waist. In others Beca was the little spoon, with the other girl enveloping her in a tight embrace that Beca had somehow managed to sink into. Daisy had been trying to convince herself that the two were just friends, but judging by the intimacy of the pair in these supposedly private moments, they could have shared a relationship that was beyond the bounds of platonic friendship. The final few photos made Daisy's mind up. In these the pair weren't spooning but instead facing each other. Beca's head rested on the girl's chest with one arm under her neck bringing the pair closer together, and the other resting on her shoulder. The girl had her arms wrapped around Beca's lower back in what looked like a gentle and intimate embrace. Beca's entire body weight was on the other girl, which indicated to Daisy that Beca had been the one to initiate the embrace. There were fifteen photos of the pair sleeping in an almost identical position, Daisy felt herself start to resent the girl who Beca felt strongly enough to be so vulnerable with. She didn't exactly seem like the type to revel in physical contact, let alone sleeping in such close proximity.

"Amy! Seriously! That's just… ughh… you can't just go taking photos of people while they're sleeping." Beca's indignant pout was back

"Shawshank I can and I do. You never know when they come in handy. And I have another use for these but you'll find out when the time is right."

"Okay moving on."

"Wait no there's one more thing you guys need to learn about pintsized here. She will tell you that she's a badass, but I have unrefutable proof that she is actually a softie." Beca rolled her eyes and laughed. But she stopped laughing the moment she realised that Amy was playing a video. On the screen it showed Beca and the other girl fast asleep, with Beca snuggled on top of her. Daisy could see a hand lightly poking Beca, which she guessed belonged to Fat Amy judging by the slightly pudgy fingers. Beca woke with the most wonderful reaction.

"Mmmmm Chlo, stop. Go back to sleep." Beca almost inaudibly muttered this into the chest of her sleeping companion, and proceeded to shimmy a little, burying her face in the crook of the girls neck without opening her eyes. The video continued for a minute or so, with Fat Amy poking this Chlo girl this time. After a few pokes she started to speak in a sleep filled and remarkably melodious timbre.

"Becs stop. Go to sleep sweetie."

Daisy expected Beca to berate the girl for calling her such a name, but instead Beca grinned and kissed her bedmate's neck lightly, before doing the same to her shoulder and resting her head lightly on it. At such an intimate gesture the girl's eyes snapped open and she saw they were a breath taking cerulean blue that she felt inexplicably drawn to.

"AMY!"

"Hey Chlo, Shawshank. Don't mind me." At this interaction Beca's eyes opened in a flash and she sat up in record sleep. Her eyes widened and she looked both like she'd been caught doing something she shouldn't have been doing.

"Dude. Get OUT."

"Ugh fine. But someday you'll thank me for this Shortstack."

Back in the present Beca's eyes were frantically looking at Amy and she swiftly downed her drink.

"Right. New game."

"Ugh you're no fun. But fine, spin the bottle will be just as good." Stacie whined but looked pleased with herself for the new suggestion.

"Fine."

The group proceeded to get more intoxicated very quickly as the dares that were dished out were so outrageous that most of the Bellas forfeited. Beca swiftly proceeded to pick truth, probably to avoid having to streak through campus as poor Jade had been told to do. She probably hadn't even realised that Daisy would be the one picking the question. Daisy didn't want to make the girl dislike her any more than she probably already did, so picked what she figured would be a boring question with a straightforward answer.

"Why did you pick Titanium for the audition song?"

Beca whipped round to face Daisy, her face suddenly completely unreadable. The rest of the Bellas' mouths were wide open, suggesting that Daisy's question was far more personal than she had anticipated. Beca was silent for a few seconds, which seemed to prompt Stacie to fill the void.

"Beca has a thing for Titanium but she's never told us why. I think it has something to do with Chloe though as she played it a lot."

Daisy noticed the sudden sombre mood and the use of the past tense, maybe the two fell out and that's why she isn't around. Without saying a word Beca took out her laptop and proceeded to facetime one of her contacts.

"Hey Becs!" The beautiful redhead that Daisy had seen in the photos sleeping with Beca filled the screen. Somehow she was even more beautiful now that she was speaking and her personality was evident. This girl was like the sun, bubbly and bright, the complete opposite of Beca. The Bellas captain was unable to speak and passed her laptop to Stacie.

"Hey Chloe. We're playing truth or dare and this one wanted to know why Beca picked titanium for the audition song."

Daisy blushed as Chloe's attention was suddenly focused on her.

"Oh hey! You must be Daisy. It's nice to finally, sort-of meet you."

"What? Uhh how?" Daisy found herself unable to form full sentences to the beauty in front of her. She noticed that Beca had started to look particularly sheepish as Chloe spoke, moving to sit next to Daisy so Chloe could see them both clearly, with the other Bellas behind them.

"Becs didn't you tell them?"

"Nope."

"Honestly. Well Daisy during your audition Beca filmed some of it and sent it to me."

"Chlo—"

"She wanted to know what I thought of your voice and if I agreed with her that you could be a good mini Aubrey."

"Chloeeee." Beca whined and blushed an even deeper shade.

"Wait so that's what you were doing while I was singing? I thought you hated it!" Daisy interjected. Beca rolled her eyes and didn't respond.

"Becs be nice." Daisy was started to like Chloe and her ability to make Beca behave like a petulant child.

"It's not my fault she's—"

"Moving on. Chloe could you please tell us why Beca has a thing for Titanium and chose it for the audition song." Stacie's interjection was more than welcome to Daisy as it prevented Beca from finishing her no doubt unflattering sentiment about her. Chloe proceeded to tell the girls about how she had accosted Beca in the shower and forced her to sing Titanium. Chloe explained how this interaction and "all that" (whatever that means) was the reason Beca auditioned in the first place. Beca blushed profusely at this and even more so when Chloe added that it's her "lady jam".

"Dude stop please. It's like you're trying to embarrass me."

"Don't be silly Becs, it's not my fault you're a cutie that isn't as comfortable with your body as I am. I could've added about the mixes you made to apologise every time you did something that upset me even the tiniest bit. Or maybe the fact you sang it to me like a lullaby whenever I had a bad day. But I kept that to myself so you can thank me later." Beca had moved the angle of the laptop screen so Chloe had only been able to see her and must have assumed that the two were alone.

"Chlo. The Bellas are still here." Beca moved the laptop to show the other girls who all were sitting in silence with their mouths open in shock. Chloe giggled, a glorious sound that made Beca smile, a remarkable feat considering how mortified she must have been feeling.

"Awh sweetie I'll leave you to explain yourself to the Bellas. Don't forget to explain to the babies what a ladyjam is."

"Chlo I swear to—"

"—Love you BYE." With that Chloe was gone and Beca shifted uneasily, choosing to address them all at once but look at no one.

"Yes, Chloe made me sing Titanium with her in the shower. I like the song because we harmonised perfectly and usually that's really rare even with practice. And a lady jam is a song you use for… relief. So yeah, moving on. We are never talking about this again." Daisy was confused.

"Relief? What?" Stacie rolled her eyes at this.

"Oh sweet baby. Such a pure soul." Stacie proceeded to explain in painful detail how Titanium could be used for what Beca referred to as "relief".

The girls got back to their juvenile but incredibly fun game. Daisy was dared to flash someone. She obviously chose Beca and proceeded quickly to do so, hoping that maybe her body would help her cause. Beca scrunched up her face and looked away, apparently not reacting like any of Daisy's previous boyfriends. So frustrating. Beca unsurprisingly picked dare due to the debacle when she had been forced to answer a question. Due to her frustration with Beca and her current predicament, she figured out a way to find out if Beca understood her frustration.

"I'm going to ask you two questions. Drink one finger of your drink if your answer is yes to one of the questions, down your drink if your answer is yes to both of them." Daisy was rather pleased with herself, until Beca rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath, no doubt not PG.

"Have you had an unreciprocated crush? Have you ever thought about someone else during sex?" Beca downed her drink and stormed off.

After the disastrous end to the after party at Beca's dorm Daisy felt overwhelmingly guilty at pushing the sophomore so far. Over the proceeding weeks she tried several times to apologise to Beca after Bellas rehearsals which was the only time the two were in the same room, but the girl would always dash off either to see her boyfriend or to work. Daisy had initially doubted the truth of this until one day she not so stealthily followed Beca. She saw her meet the boy she knew was Jesse outside the radio station and saw his face drop when she uttered the words that no one ever wants to here.

"Jesse. We need to talk."


	10. Chapter 10

After all her worrying, it turned that Jesse had seen the break up coming. When Beca had eventually spluttered and mumbled something about "end things", "apathetic" and "best friends" he had nodded sadly. But ultimately Jesse admitted that he had noticed Beca growing distant from him very swiftly after they initially got together. He had been hoping that if he treated Beca well and showed her how much she meant to him that she would eventually respond to him the way he wanted. Jesse needed Beca to want him, truly want him, but that her obvious use of him as a distraction was upsetting and more than a little degrading. Jesse was too polite to ask Beca precisely what he was distracting her from, but he suspected it had something to do with one Chloe Beale. Jesse had never called Beca out on it, but he knew that the pair had been incredibly close, and had felt like he was competing with Chloe for Beca's affections throughout their freshman year. But it turned out only Beca was unaware of that fact, and Jesse didn't want to push her, as he was still keen to remain friends with the grumpy little DJ. So the conversation that Beca had been dreading ended as well as any break up can, with both parties feeling sad, but also a little relieved. Jesse could find someone who actually wanted to spend time with him and had more shared interests and Beca was free. To do what she wasn't sure, but she felt lighter somehow. That night Beca had an unshakable urge to tell Chloe about it.

 _Beca: Hey Chlo_

 _Chlo: Becs! How are you?_

 _Beca: Good actually. I ended things with Jesse_

Beca's heart started to race a little when Chloe didn't reply instantaneously as she had with the last message. She desperately wanted to know what her former best friend thought of her decision, although still unable to recognise why she felt that way. Thousands of miles away Chloe was overwhelmed. She and Beca had never spoken about Jesse since she had left immediately after the ICCAs. So finding out that her suspicions were correct, Beca had given herself physically and emotionally to Jesse for several months, left Chloe breathless and seething with Jesse. She spent several minutes jealously trying to work out what made Jesse the object of Beca's affection and desire rather than herself before she realised one key thing. Beca had broken up with the irritating sophomore. So he wasn't good enough after all. Chloe felt herself become more and more frustrated at the fact she wouldn't be returning to Barden for another few months, as she couldn't see how the sophomore would stay single for that long. Beca was completely unaware of her attractiveness and the enigmatic vibe she gave off, it was only a matter of time before any guy with even the most poor observational skills will become drawn to her. Chloe snapped out of her panic spiral when she thought about her lack of reply. You can do this Beale. Be the friend she needs right now.

 _Chlo: Oh sweetie are you okay? I can call you in a couple hours? If he hurt you so help me… you know I'll end him xo_

Beca smiled at the response, so typical Chloe. She was impressed at the redhead's restraint, compared with her messages in the past. Chloe clearly still had her best interests at heart and Beca felt her heart swell at the fact Chloe had assumed Jesse was somehow in the wrong even though Beca had been the one to initiate the break up. The two had texted back and forth for a while, and true to her word Chloe had called Beca a few hours later once she was finished at school for the day. She couldn't put her finger on it, but Chloe knew that something was off with her tiny friend. Beca was clearly struggling with something internally, and the fact that she didn't even hint at this to Chloe meant that it must be a serious problem. As soon as she got off the phone with Beca she called the one person she knew who could help, she called Stacie. Chloe knew that Stacie and Fat Amy had filled her spot as Beca's best friend in her absence, so called the most reliable of the two to arrange what she hoped would be the perfect way to cheer Beca up. Even if Beca herself was unwilling to recognise that she was glum in the first place. Perhaps, Chloe reasoned, she was unable to separate the emotion from her usual apathetic moodiness. She smiled fondly at that thought, missing seeing how she was able to turn Beca's usual scowl into a thinly veiled smile.

After she finished talking to Chloe Stacie was bubbling with excitement. She knew exactly what needed to be done. Stacie secretly loved any logistical task, so was in part excited for the multitude of small tasks that she would need to oversee over the next few days, but she was also thrilled to see the outcome and Beca's reaction. Stacie created a new group chat with all the Bellas except for Beca, she figured "Shawshank Gets Redemption" would be a suitable name for it and chuckled to herself at her own wit. The girls proceeded to come up with, what would seem to Beca like legitimate, reasons that they each would not be able to make rehearsals in the final week of the semester. Stacie hadn't told any of them why they needed to do so, or why organising a Bellas dinner, movie night and party were necessary all in that week. She wanted them to be just as surprised as Beca would be. Stacie didn't want any of the Bellas to accidentally reveal her plans to Beca so keeping them all in the dark was the perfect way to avoid that outcome. She spent the next few days subtly improving Beca's appearance, starting with the ear monstrosities – swapping with some slightly softer but "equally badass" jewellery. Stacie even managed to drag Beca shopping for a few non-plaid items to add to her wardrobe. When Beca, and the Bellas who had also noticed Stacie's efforts, asked why this was necessary she gave the cheery response that moving on from Jesse required a new guy in her life to "have some fun with". And that would happen a lot quicker if Beca looked a little more approachable, "but don't worry Bec you still look like a badass. Guys just needed to know you won't actually hurt them if you want to sleep with them. Duh." Stacie gave the same response when she forced Beca to get a long overdue haircut, a brow shape and an eyebrow tint. Although these changes were subtle, Beca's appearance had softened and Stacie was thrilled. She knew Chloe would appreciate every little change, and hoped that it might prompt her to admit to Beca how she felt. Stacie had figured that whole situation out before any of the other Bellas could even suspect, and prided herself into helping things along a little.

One person who had keenly noticed every little change Stacie made was Daisy. She found herself more drawn to Beca as she was looking a little less scary and more stunning than ever. As soon as she found out from Fat Amy that Beca was newly single Daisy felt a little more than excited. She knew that she would have to make a move soon before anyone else did, the brunette was alluring creative and smart, someone would ask her out sooner or later. The question was how she could get Beca to even talk to her in the first place. As Daisy had more or less memorised Beca's schedule, she made her way to the radio station where she knew her captain would be. She figured the sophomore wouldn't be able to run away from her in the middle of her shift. A few minutes later Daisy smoothed her luscious blond tresses and knocked on the radio station's booth nervously.

"Yes?" Beca looked exasperated and Daisy hadn't even said a word to her yet. This did not bode well.

"Can I uh talk to you for a second?"

"Fine, just give me a minute." Beca darted back into the booth, slamming the door behind her. She queued a playlist of mixes she had just finished working on knowing it would last for more than the required time for the impending conversation with the overeager freshman. In fact the playlist was long enough to last for the rest of her shift, so Beca could always run out of the radio station if necessary. She wasn't sure why, but Beca found herself constantly irritated by Daisy. The girl was just so overeager, always trying to please Beca, which in turn had the opposite effect. Beca knew she should be flattered at the girl's behaviour and see it as respectful rather than too try-hard, but it just didn't sit well with her. She wished Chloe knew Daisy and had seen her behaviour, Chloe would be able to read the situation and know what to do. When Beca returned from the booth she gestured to Daisy to sit down on one of the chairs in the breakroom. She noted that Daisy had moved it away from Beca's slightly, as if trying to avoid cross any physical boundaries that Beca might have. Such a considerate gesture was interpreted by the disgruntled DJ as sickeningly obsequious and she rolled her eyes.

"I won't bite you know."

"I.. uh.. okay."

"So, what did you want to talk about? Beca tried prompting the girl so that the conversation could end as soon as possible.

"I just wanted to apologise. I clearly crossed a line at the party…" Beca swiftly stopped listening as Daisy babbled on and on about how bad she felt about pushing Beca about wanting someone she wasn't with. When the girl's hand gestures became overly frantic and emphatic Beca interrupted her mid-sentence.

"Look Daisy. It's fine. You had no way of knowing. But I recently experienced first hand how awful it is to have unreciprocated… feelings for someone. So your little dare just brought that up, it's still raw and I took it out on you. I'm sorry for that."

Daisy was shocked that Beca had been so open with her, and seemed genuinely apologetic about her recent behaviour. She knew it didn't make the pair friends or anything, but it was certainly a good start.

"I'm so sorry Beca. For the record whatever guy rejected you is an idiot." Daisy stopped herself before she revealed any feelings she might be bottling up. Instead she waited slightly wide-eyed for Beca's response.

"We-uh never talked about it. When I realised how I felt it was too late, so I didn't get rejected, I just missed the chance to put myself out there."

Daisy felt her heart sink on Beca's behalf, as her situation was alarmingly similar to how Daisy was currently feeling, and it was beyond awful. She decided that at the Bella's party she would tell Beca everything, in the hope that she would either respond in the way Daisy so desperately wanted, or Daisy would be forced to move on. But either way, she would put herself out there while she still had the chance. The sophomore looked so sad at whatever relationship opportunity she had missed, and Daisy was keen to avoid that for herself. Instead she allowed herself to hope that Beca would give her the chance to get to know her and… try some things together. Daisy blushed profusely at the thought of any potential physical intimacy with Beca.

"Yo. Space cadet? Hello? You there"

"I – what?"

"Space cadet, you know because she spaced out for a couple minutes. It was super awkward just saying, and that's coming from me." Beca chucked to herself, a sound that was music to Daisy's ears even if it was at her own expense.

"Oh, right. Sorry. I was just figuring some things out. I have to go, but I'm glad you let me apologise. I really am sorry."

Daisy bounded out of the room leaving Beca incredibly confused, the freshman had completely checked out mid conversation, with an expression resembling both hope and distress that the DJ was unable to decipher. Chloe would have understood. Beca cursed under her breath, it seemed like she had been relying on Chloe to solve any minor problem or confusion she experienced rather a lot lately. Beca missed the bubbly redhead tremendously, if only she knew where she was, then Beca would visit. She shocked herself a little at this thought; she was willing to put her life on hold to see Chloe. Wow. Little did Beca know that Chloe had had the exact same thought, and had swiftly booked the days off she was allotted for the duration of her programme abroad and booked a return flight. It was all set, Chloe would be visiting Barden in three days time.


	11. Chapter 11

Stacie had spent the last two days planning and it was finally time to actualise them, one of the many times her intelligence became apparent despite her ditsy persona. She was beyond excited for Chloe's visit, but also knew there was a lot that needed to be done in the remaining twenty four hours. It took a few minutes for Stacie to process; Chloe Beale will be in Barden tomorrow. The girl who had left a gaping hole within the Bellas, despite the two new additions. The fact that Beca was completely transformed around her was an added bonus. Stacie was looking forward to seeing Beca smile genuinely for the first time since the ICCAs, as her emotions directly impacted the atmosphere among the Bellas as a group. Forcing herself to focus back on the present, Stacie got out her phone and texted the first two unwitting participants in her plan.

 _Cancel your plans. Meet me outside Baker Hall in 1 hour. Bring your car._

 _Get up. Meet me outside your dorm in one hour. It's VERY important, so no you can't get out of it. Yay thanks love you see you soon xoxo_

One hour later Stacie parked outside Baker Hall, spotting a very nervous looking freshman hovering by the curb.

"Hey Daisy, thanks for coming."

"Hey Stacie. You uhh sounded a little... commanding in your text. Is everything okay? Did I do something wrong?"

"Awh sweetie everything is fine. I just really needed your car and figured an assertive tone would be the best way to guarantee that happening."

"But I just saw you drive here?"

"Yes, but we have a lot of things to buy, way too much to fit in one car-"

Stacie was interrupted by a very grumpy looking Beca clearing her throat loudly.

"Stace. This better be important."

"Why? Do you have anything better to do?"

Beca rolled her eyes, Stacie knew her so well. She was secretly thrilled to leave her dorm, as she was feeling even more broody than normal. But Stacie didn't need to know that, let alone Daisy. Besides, badasses definitely do not brood.

"Hey Beca. How are you?"

Beca was snapped out of her reverie by Daisy smiling nervously at her. The girl looked a little uncomfortable and Beca started to feel bad that she hadn't made more of an effort to be nice to Daisy. The freshman was just so eager to please, and somehow that made Beca unjustifiably irritated.

"Hey. Yeah good thanks, you?"

Stacie stopped any further small talk by explaining that they would be driving to the nearest Walmart. Once inside, Stacie turned to her two companions with a wicked smirk.

"Now it's obvious that I needed Daisy for her car and the extra storage space. But Beca is here expertise."

"Expertise?"

"Dude what? Last time I checked my only areas of expertise are music and napping, neither of which can be found in Walmart."

"Oh Bec, you forgot about your real area of expertise."

Daisy's eyes widened, desperate to know what Stacie was hinting at with the emphasis on "real". Beca looked completely bewildered, which further fuelled Daisy's curiosity.

"Again, what?"

Stacie rolled her eyes, in an uncanny imitation of Beca as she proceeded to explain.

"We have all been a little down this semester, as our two leaders have moved on and it's taking a while to adjust. Now I love Aubrey but she isn't as popular with everyone as her co-captain. We all love Chloe. So I thought that we could have a Chloe themed week to cheer us up."

Beca's mouth was gaping open, she looked too stunned to speak. She had never been so grateful for Daisy's interjection.

"Is Chloe the one you were on the phone to at the activities fair? The one who made you sing titanium?"

A blush starting to rise through Beca's entire body, and she couldn't look Daisy in the eye. The freshman thought it was the most adorable sight she had every seen, and somehow made Beca seem even more attractive, if that was possible.

"What do you know about titanium?"

"What? Uh you mentioned it on the phone to her at the activities fair?"

"Oh. Right. Yeah, well that's private. And yes Chloe is the one I was on the phone to."

"I'm so sorry. But what does Chloe have to do with your expertise?"

Stacie cackled wickedly at this and butted in.

"Chloe IS Beca's real expertise. This week we're going to eat all of Chloe's favourite meals, do her favourite activities and even dress in the way she would like. And Beca is the only one who knows all these things."

Beca smiled sadly in response.

"It's not a big deal, she's just easy to understand."

"She's downplaying it Daisy, you'll see. Let's start with breakfast for the week. Beca?" The girl responded instantaneously.

"Blueberry pancakes with maple syrup, accompanied by ginger and lemon tea."

Daisy was a little taken aback, and wanted to see exactly how much Beca knew about the mysterious Chloe's breakfast preferences.

"Beca why is that Chloe's favourite?"

Beca rolled her eyes as if the answer was as obvious as the colour of grass, and only answered when elbowed aggressively by Stacie.

"Chlo always works out before she has breakfast so needs to have something filling so she doesn't spend the rest of the day snacking. She needs calcium from the milk to keep her bones strong and she doesn't like the taste of milk, so it's masked in the pancakes. Chlo's always worrying about her heart as her uncle Nigel, Great Aunt Edith and Papa Arty all have heart conditions. Blueberries decrease a person's risk of heart disease, also they're tasty. And then the lemon and ginger tea helps Chlo's throat as even though she doesn't have nodes any more her throat is always dry and sore when she wakes up and if she sings without a soothing hot drink she'll strain her voice. The lemon soothes Chlo and she just loves the zing of ginger."

Daisy's eyes were wide, her mouth open in shock. This was the most she had ever heard her crush speak, and it was about someone's breakfast preferences of all things. Daisy wondered if she would ever get to meet the girl who Beca clearly knew incredibly well. Stacie smirked and proceeded to get Beca to pick all of Chloe's favourite meals for the week. From time to time both Daisy and Stacie would get Beca to justify her choices, as it was becoming increasingly entertaining to learn the extent of Beca's knowledge of Chloe's likes and dislikes.

"Bec what does Chloe like to snack on? Would apples be okay?"

"Yes, but they must be pink lady apples."

"Why?"

Beca proceeded to respond with her best impression of Chloe, complete with an overexcited tone, emphatic hand gestures and plenty of gentle touches to Stacie's arm and her own chest as if to prove her point. In short, it was a spot on impersonation.

"They're the sweetest type of apple. Obviously sweetness is the most important thing for an apple to be. So pink ladies aren't just my favourite, but they're also the best. And I wouldn't want my girls to have anything but the best sweetie."

Stacie chuckled and continued with her relentless mocking.

"Fascinating. What about peaches, does Chloe have any opinions on those?"

"She loves peaches. Mainly because eating them gives her ample opportunity to make peach related jokes and euphemisms to make me uncomfortable."

The rest of the shopping trip continued in this way, with Daisy learning a remarkable selection of oddly specific facts about this mysterious Chloe. The girls dropped off a different day's food at each Bellas dorm, as they would be eating at a different dorm each day as part of the week-long cheer up attempt. The alcohol was left at Beca's, as she had plenty of room with her minimal approach to possessions.

The following morning Stacie woke up to her alarm blaring. She hopped into her car half an hour later and headed straight for the airport. She made her way to arrivals and waited for her favourite redhead to appear. Waiting for Chloe felt like an eternity, but the girl did eventually appear, giving Stacie time to inspect the girl from afar before she was spotted. If possible, Chloe was looking even more beautiful than she had in Stacie's sophomore year. The hours in the sun had made the girl's hair a shade lighter, and her body was impressively tanned considering her fair skin type. Chloe's frame was more slender than before, she had clearly been eating well and exercising regularly. The simple tank top and athletic shorts showed off her toned figure, and made Stacie question her own sexuality for a second. She was snapped out of her daydream by her name being called.

"STACIE" Before she could respond Stacie saw a streak of orange come towards her and felt a body fling itself into her. Chloe had ran to her in record speed and pulled her into a bone crushing hug. Stacie felt tears running down her cheeks, she hadn't realised until this moment quite how much she had missed the other girl.

"Chloe. I've missed you so much. I'm so happy you're here." The two walked arm in arm back to Stacie's car and proceeded to catch up on all of Chloe's escapades in Zambia, while Stacie filled her in about Barden. Stacie had instructed the Bellas to meet in the communal kitchen in Beca's dorm, so her headed there with Chloe, noting the girl's sudden nerves.

"Don't worry, Beca's missed you a lot these last few months. She'll be thrilled to see you."

"How did you know?"

"I know you. I know how much you love her. Now let's go and see our friends and you can see your favourite raincloud again."

Nothing more was said on the subject of Beca, as it was clear that Stacie understood exactly what Chloe's feelings were about her. Chloe had always appreciated Stacie's perceptive abilities, and was particularly grateful in this moment not to have to talk about Beca in any depth. She knew that doing so would just force her to relive feelings that she was trying her utmost to ignore.

When they entered the kitchen Chloe's eyes scanned the room quickly and saw that Beca was missing. She felt her heart drop a little. Beca hadn't even bothered to see her. Before tears could form Chloe found herself being enveloped in hugs by her Bella sisters, not being released until several minutes later.

"Chloe! You're here! How? I've missed you SO much." Various responses along those lines were being uttered by all the sophomores. Chloe responded to them all with her explanation, then saw two freshman lingering in the background, looking unsure of how to respond to her. She walked up to them and introduced herself. She noted that they were a lot like herself and Aubrey in the most basic sense, a blonde and a redhead. Chloe also saw a flicker of recognition in the blond girl's eyes.

"Oh, so you're Chloe. I've heard so much about you."

"You have?"

Stacie joined in at this point.

"Oh Daisy has learned a lot about you, Beca will tell you all about it later."

Stacie and Chloe (who insisted on helping) proceeded to make blueberry pancakes for the rest of the Bellas, they had waited for half an hour for Beca but Fat Amy had refused to wait any longer. The girls were in the middle of their meal when the door opened. Beca entered, she had clearly just got back from a particularly strenuous run, dressed in tight lyrca shorts and cropped Nike tank top. Daisy couldn't help appreciating how the form fitting outfit showed off her toned body, and the bottom of an incredibly taut set of abs. For someone who seemed constantly lethargic, Beca clearly enjoyed working out. Daisy didn't have time to continue her inspection of Beca's body as she noticed the girl's eyes light up suddenly.

"Chlo?" Beca's voice was small, but full of hope."

Chloe seemed unable to verbally respond, as her eyes started to look a little glassy. She stood up slowly, looking a little nervous. She had taken a step towards Beca with her arms open at her sides, but the other girl was far quicker to react. As soon as she registered that Chloe was in her dorm's kitchen Beca ran full speed at Chloe. In a split second Beca had jumped onto Chloe, simultaneously wrapping her arms tightly around the redhead's neck, and wrapping her legs around Chloe's waist. Chloe's arms automatically moved to hold Beca's back. The embrace was incredibly intimate, and made Daisy feel incredibly uncomfortable and jealous to watch. Both girls were crying, and Beca buried her head into the crook of Chloe's neck before resting her chin on Choe's shoulder. She kissed Chloe's tear soaked cheek gently before arching her back a little so that she could look straight into the girl's cerulean orbs.

"I've missed you so much Chlo." Beca's voice sounded strained, reflecting the overwhelming emotion she was experiencing. Chloe was equally overwhelmed, not just by seeing the Bellas and Beca again, but also by Beca's response to seeing her. Beca had never openly initiated any form of physical contact, and yet now she had quite literally thrown herself at Chloe, and so gently shown her affection and allowed herself to be completely vulnerable in front of the Bellas. Chloe slowly stepped backward into her chair, lowering herself and Beca onto it so that the pair could sit. Beca refused to reposition herself, so she was straddling Chloe in an unintentionally suggestive position. Both girls felt their hearts race, unaware that the other was feeling the exact same way.


	12. Chapter 12

Chloe was feeling almost overwhelmed with joy at her current situation; Beca was in her arms and had initiated the entire interaction. Chloe had been so worried that Beca would still be angry at her for leaving Barden so suddenly that it had never occurred to her that she would be missed to such an extent. Despite her positive persona Chloe had always had self-esteem issues, and she was completely unaware of the impact she had on those around her. In this moment Chloe felt at peace with herself and let herself breathe in Beca's scent, something that always helped calm her down. She ran her fingers gently between Beca's shoulder blades, until she was effectively stroking the girl's back. Despite no words being said, Chloe could sense the tension radiating off of her best friend, and knew that a few delicate movements would help alleviate it. What Chloe didn't realise was that Beca's body felt tense because it had almost seized up with excitement. Her whole body was shaking in response to the return of her favourite redhead, and made Beca realise that she would eventually have to do something about these feelings she had been ignoring for months. Meanwhile Daisy was looking at the pair with a mixture of jealousy and sadness. Seeing Beca see comfortable in the arms of this Chloe girl finally confirmed something to Daisy that she had been unwilling to recognise before. Beca was so different with her bestfriend showed how little Daisy actually knew her; Beca was being openly vulnerable and incredibly affectionate, two things that Daisy had only ever see the girl avoid. Daisy still hadn't figured out that Chloe was the person Beca never had the courage to pursue, but she could still sense that there was something between the pair. It was like they had a telepathic connection, communicating sentences at a time with a single facial expression. At this moment Daisy saw Beca shoot a particularly pointed look at Chloe, who smiled almost painfully widely in response. Chloe Beale was a knockout, not just classically beautiful but even the vibe she gave off was mesmerising.

"Becs and I are going to listen to her new mixes on the quad then I'll meet Stacie and Fat Amy at four when Becs has class."

Beca barely had time to protest when Chloe stopped her with a warning tone to her voice.

"Becs. You can't just skip your classes. I know you think philosophy is a waste of time but at this point even I know more about virtue ethics than you do. And all I did was read the module handbook."

"How did you know I would take that module?"

"Really? Come on Becs, it gives you an array of obnoxious responses you can use on your dad and the stepmonster. That seems like a pretty good motivation."

"Chlo I'm not that bad, come on." Beca rolled her eyes in amusement.

"So you're telling me if your dad asked you if you were happy you wouldn't deflect the question by explaining how the concept of happiness as presented by Aristotle is incoherent and vague."

"Ugh fine you're right I would. Can we go now?" With that remark the pair said their respective goodbyes to the other Bellas and headed to the quad, leaving the girls speechless. Fat Amy broke the silence in her usual unique way.

"Guys I've missed Bhloe. When are we gonna make them get their heads out of their arses and fuck?" Stacie snorted and butted in.

"Amy! You could put things a little more delicately… But guys she's right. The eye fucking and grinding situation was a bit much. And I always forget about their whole silent communication thing, it's cute but also a little creepy. They made plans in one second, in silence. If that isn't a sign they should be together I don't know what is."

Daisy's mind was reeling at this insinuation, but a small voice next to her interrupted her thoughts.

"Stacie? What's a Bhloe?"

"Oh Jade you poor sweet baby, I knew you had a sheltered childhood but I didn't know the extent of it until know." Stacie proceeded to give Jade an in depth description of the other kind of blowie. The rest of the Bellas cackled until Jessica took pity and explained the whole Bhloe situation to Jade and by extension Daisy. The girls planned out ways to bring Beca and Chloe together before going their separate ways for the day.

Beca felt like she was dreaming. She was leaning against her favourite tree with Chloe, watching the girl focus on her mixes. Seeing Chloe's eyes light up at each little thing she thought was "amazing Becs, truly incredible" made Beca's insides feel like they were turning to mush. Chloe was just so proud of her and had so much faith in her abilities, without questioning that Beca might not be successful. It was this unwavering support that had Beca biting her lip almost to the point of drawing blood, as she considered how to address her feelings.

"What's wrong Becs?" Chloe was looking at her, taking her hand gently in concern.

"Huh? Oh nothing, just thinking you know?" Beca just wanted the ground to swallow her up, she sounded so stupid. Chloe rolled her eyes, a habit she had picked up from Beca.

"I have been known to think from time to time Becs. What were you thinking about? You know I'm always here if you need anything." Beca hesitated at this.

"It's just. I've been going through a lot these last few months, and I needed you. But you weren't here, and I had no way of contacting you. I'm not angry I just, I still feel a little betrayed." Beca's voice cracked as she tried to explain herself without being unfair to Chloe. Her eyes betrayed her, as the tears started to form. Chloe took one look at her and brought Beca into a tight embrace, feeling her own eyes start to water too. Both girls felt an atmosphere of raw emotion, they were clearly needing to process the situation, but neither would admit exactly why she was feeling so emotional. Finally Beca sniffled and the pair separated from the intimate embrace.

"Chlo?

"Yeah Becs?"

"I need to tell you some things that you missed since your trip overseas. Could we maybe talk about it later?"

"Of course sweetie, but why can't we talk about it now?"

"I.. just… I-uh need to be more.. relaxed if I'm gonna be honest with you. I need to be blackout so I won't remember telling you something I'll probably regret."

"Sure Becs, whatever you feel you need." Chloe was completely perplexed at this, she couldn't wait to find out exactly what had got Beca so worked up. The pair got back to listening to Beca's mixes, until Chloe eventually forced Beca to go to her philosophy lecture.

To pass the time Chloe got coffee with Stacie, and the pair caught up fully.

"How are things with Beca?" Chloe sighed sadly.

"The same as always. She's wonderful, amazing, the love of my life. But she just sees me as her best friend, and I abandoned her. There's nothing I can do to make her feel the way I want her to, so I'm just frustrated. But I've also missed her so much, and seeing her again makes me realise that a part of me was missing in Zambia."

"Oh Chloe. I can't even imagine how awful it must be for the same person to both break your heart but also be taking up permanent residence in it. But Beca's just oblivious, that doesn't mean she isn't interested in you. Or favourite dumb little DJ just needs a push."

"Stace, please. Don't get my hopes up when we both know Beca isn't attracted to me. She just trusts me, there's a big difference."

"Sweetie. Beca literally threw herself at you when you arrived and she wouldn't even remove herself from your lap so you could finish your breakfast. She clung to you as if you would disappear from her at any second. The only time she even hugs the rest of us is when Fat Amy physically forces her to. Her physical intimacy with you has to be indicative of some sort of platonic feelings."

"Stace I told myself the same thing during Beca's freshmen year but look what happened. She kissed Jesse and gave herself to him emotionally and physically in ways I will never get to experience with her. So please, just let it go. It's less painful when I don't have false hope

"Fine. But you need to let the Bellas go through with our plan. We have a real high school style plan to test Beca's feelings. I won't tell you the details, but you'll see."

"Just don't be mean to Becs and push her too hard, it's not her fault she don't like girls."

"Oh honey, have you seen her? The eyeliner, those ear monstrosities, and all that plaid. Sometimes stereotypes are entirely accurate."

The conversation continued in that manner until the pair eventually sauntered back to Stacie's dorm to prepare for the evening.

Stacie had organised with the rest of the Bellas (minus Beca) to meet at Beca and Amy's room at 9pm for some classic Bellas bonding. They were going to spend the evening playing juvenile drinking games and drinking obscene amounts to fuel some honest discussions and embarrassing confessions. Stacie was excited, as it would provide the perfect opportunity to make some progress with Project Bhloe. She was determined that by the end of the week some professions of feelings would be made, and Chloe would be in significantly less emotional pain.

Chloe and Stacie appeared at Beca and Amy's door at exactly 9pm dressed in "pyjamas", with backpacks full of snacks alcohol and mixer.

"Hello?" Beca stumbled to the door, her hair was tousled adorably and her eyes looked bleary from sleep. Chloe melted a little, Beca had clearly just been woken up from a nap and had never looked more endearing. She had a cropped tank top and flannel shorts on, both black obviously. Only Beca could manage to look so hot in pyjamas, with messy hair and a make up free face. Stacie eyed Beca up appreciatively.

"Nice body Bec, when did you start working out?" Beca blushed, looking even more confused than before.

"What? Uh, over summer? I run to clear my head sometimes."

"You really need to stop hiding that body under oversized plaid." Chloe knew Stacie was just being her usual flirtatious self, but she could still feel herself growing resentful that Stacie could flirt without any serious consequences.

"Ugh no don't tell Shortstack that she has a good body, I don't need her taking any of my boyfriends away. When it's hidden under plaid I get to keep them to myself."

Fat Amy's interjection made Beca chuckle, and she had now suitably woken up to let Stacie and Chloe in, while they explained the plan for a Bellas slumber party.

"But you're not in pyjamas? Every time we have a slumber party we wear pyjamas."

"Becs we are in pyjamas, silly."

"Chlo I have underwear bigger than those shorts, and I want my shirt back."

"Well then I need to take you shopping for some smaller underwear. And you know this shirt is my favourite. It's just so comfy, and it fits me better than you anyway."

"Ugh fine, but don't steal any more of my clothes."

"Are you too done? Cause the others have been knocking for a while now…"

Fat Amy let the remaining Bellas in, smirking as they wolf whistled pointedly in Beca's direction.

"Damn Shawshank. When did you get so hot?" Cynthia rose leered and gave Beca a once over slowly, her eyes lingering on Beca's toned stomach, with evident abdominals and her ribs protruding a little. Beca looked exasperated.

"I. Ugh. I was sleeping okay, and this is comfy. Why do you guys have to make this weird. I'll just change then you can get back to normal."

"Nope not happening Bec, you have to let me appreciate—"

"All that." Chloe contributed, chuckling. The girls chatted for a while, before settling down in a circle to play the carefully planned games. Fortunately only Beca and Chloe were unaware of what was going on, the pair too busy having another silent conversation. The game started off as normal with each Bella saying something they had never done, but after two complete circuits things started to truly get interesting as that was when the targeting began.

"Don't forget a story is required if you have to drink!" Stacie smirked wickedly.

"Never have I ever kissed a girl." Beca felt her heart start to race when Chloe drank, at least now she knew if she got rejected it wouldn't be because Chloe wasn't into girls.

"Come on guys it's no big deal, you're basically supposed to experiment in college. And I've always been open with my sexuality, doesn't matter the gender. It's the personality that counts." Her eyes lingered on Beca, who was too flustered to pick up on the very obvious insinuation being made.

"Never have I ever had a dirty dream." Jade looked embarrassed as she said this, the poor girl was very shy about anything sex related.

"I, well I have a crush. And sometimes I dream about us being together, you know how it would feel to have her inside me and what her breasts—"

"Okay moving on." Fat Amy interrupted Daisy before she could go into more detail. The girl was surprisingly promiscuous so had drank a lot already, her filter was long gone. Chloe, who although also a little inebriated was still mentally sharp, astutely picked up on Daisy's lingering glances at Beca. She wondered whether Beca had any idea of the freshmen's crush on her, she figured they could talk about it later, as it would give Chloe the chance to see exactly where Beca was girlwise.

"I like to fool around in the shower sometimes, so I dream about it from time to time. Usually I can't tell who my partner is, I just feel what they're doing to me. And my ladyjam is always playing in the background."

"Ugh Chlo you have such a thing for showers." Beca's response to Chloe prompted a fuller explanation of how before Chloe had accosted Beca in the shower she had been fooling around with Tom. Stacie was about to give her "never have I ever" when Beca piped up.

"I, uh. Have dreams about someone I have a.. thing for. We're, umm.. always together.. and all that." Beca tailed off, blushing profusely and refusing to take her eyes off the floor. The rest of the Bellas were shocked, their silence speaking volumes. No one expected Beca to be the type to have dirty dreams, Chloe recovered the quickest and pulled Beca into a side hug.

"Awh Becs you don't need to be embarrassed, it's good to have dreams like that. It's nice to have someone you want to be intimate with, you should never be ashamed of that."

Beca buried her head into Chloe's shoulder, hoping the rest of the game would be less embarrassing. Unfortunately it only got worse.

"Never have I ever doubted my sexuality."

"Never have I ever dumped someone because of liking someone else."

"Never have I ever been attracted to other girls."

"Never have I ever had a crush on a close friend."

"Never have I ever shared a bed with my crush."

"Never have I ever ran away to avoid rejection."

"Never have I ever refused to admit my feelings to my crush."

Beca and Chloe had both drank copious quantities of vodka at this point, and were completely intoxicated. Any embarrassment from either girl had dissipated at this point, as they were too focused on staying upright. However any drunkenness fell away at the final question from Lily, who in her mind was shouting in order for her sneaky idea to be voiced.

"Never have I ever had a crush on Chloe."

Several of the Bellas, perhaps unsurprisingly, drank. Chloe's eyes widened when she saw a movement out of the corner of her eye. Beca had downed her drink.


	13. Chapter 13

After Beca's inadvertent confession the room was completely silent, the tension suddenly palpable. It felt like hours of avoidance went by as Chloe tried to process what had just happened. She could feel her heart racing, and the blood draining from her face as she tried to calm down. Beca did her best to keep her gaze fixed on the floor, but stole the odd glance at Chloe. Her heart dropped as she saw the beautiful redhead turn pale and seemed unable to form words. In the meantime Chloe was struggling to stop herself from running away with her thoughts. She was full of questions, but her main concern was when Beca had begun to crush on her, and whether she still felt that way. Just as she began to imagine what could happen between them and whether a future was a realistic thing to think about Chloe was interrupted by Fat Amy.

"Guys, lesbihonest, Bhloe united at the beginning of last year. The shower? Anyone?"

"I, uh, need to go.. to the station. I'll see you all.. soon." Completely ignoring the fact that it was two in the morning and she was in her pyjamas, Beca grabbed her laptop headphones and phone threw on some shoes and the nearest plaid shirt to cover herself a little and ran. Chloe sighed silently to herself as she watched her beloved crush, if she could even pretend it was just that anymore, quite literally run away from her. So many thoughts were running through Chloe's mind that she felt like nothing was quite processing. So she sat silently, her eyes getting that intense look to them that was incredibly intimidating, but Daisy couldn't help noticing was also very attractive. She could see exactly what Beca saw in Chloe – the girl was stunning, obviously. But her personality was so much more than her body and beauty, and the look radiating off of her at this moment made Daisy forget about her feelings for Beca for a second. Daisy was almost certain that Chloe had no romantic interest in her, she didn't even know if the girl was into other girls. So she figured that maybe she could get to know Chloe and hopefully become her friend, as someone who was so wonderful and had clearly had such an impact on the Bellas captain was an important person to have in your life. Daisy was daydreaming about ways to get to know Chloe when her thoughts were interrupted by Stacie.

"Guys, it's getting pretty late. Lets crash here then we'll get breakfast in the morning."

"Umm, really Stace you're gonna ignore what just happened? I think we should talk about— "

"Nope. Not gonna happen Ames. We're already in PJs and there's more than enough room for us all. Night guys, love you all."

With that very final sounding comment Stacie made sure that the girls all made themselves comfortable in Beca's surprisingly spacious room. The fact the girl had an abundant supply of comforters, blankets and pillows strewn in a pile by her bed was a huge help. Chloe found herself next to Stacie, who she was so grateful for right now, as the girl had singlehandedly prevented any awkward discussions about Beca's inadvertent confession.

While Chloe was lying in Beca's bed with Stacie, her mind running a mile a minute, Beca herself was at the station immersed in her laptop. When she had arrived she had come across an incredibly nervous freshman who was clearly trying to contain his curiosity, and obvious interest.

"H-Hi. Beca. Umm Hi."

"Yeah you said that already. Move."

"Okay, uh how are you?"

"Clearly need to process something Jake."

"Can I help you with anything?"

"Feel free to be quiet, and not get in the way."

Jake was physically a lot like Luke, athletic, fair-haired and had an abundance of admirers. So naturally when Beca had been her usual aloof self around him, her lack of interest had made Jake become attracted to her. The freshman had added her on any social media platform he could think of (snapchat, facebook, instagram and twitter), but she had left all the requests on pending. This had just made the boy even more interested, for once there was a girl who was completely apathetic towards him. And she was pretty amazing the more he thought about it, she was funny, didn't care what others thought of her and was most importantly just so intriguing. The sophomore was almost exclusively clad in plaid, or similarly loose fitting dark clothing, and somehow always looked so effortlessly attractive. Hot. Beautiful. Whatever word you want to use, Brandon was drawn to her and had been trying to think of ways to break through Beca's steely gaze and icy demeanour. So when Beca had bounded into the station at just gone two in the morning in a cropped tank and black flannel shorts Jake couldn't help but gulp. Beca had been hiding quite the bod under all that plaid. She had an enviable figure by any definition, Jake found himself giving her the once over, a couple times. The generous hint of cleavage, visible abs and toned butt and legs was quite the package. Jake swallowed nervously as he was aware that his silent staring was making things even more awkward than usual. Beca rolled her eyes and got in the booth to start an impromptu radio session, which she had a reputation for doing, not regularly enough for a lot of students liking. Beca's music had become pretty popular on campus, she had gained a reputation as a hot mystery, which she was of course completely unaware of.

Beca had spent the last few minutes queueing up several hours of music before digging out a shabby looking notebook, which she proceeded to scribble in until exhaustion started to hit. At somewhere past five am Beca stumbled out of the radio station and headed back to her room. She had left a note for Jesse taped to the booth so he would know when he came in later that morning that she had sorted the music until his shift officially began. When Beca arrived home she felt the last of her energy leave her. She could hear snoring coming from her room, so she knew that the Bellas had crashed there. She cautiously opened the door and surprisingly gracefully hopped over the sleeping girls everywhere, and made her way to her bed. She could see barely anything, so had to pat the bed to check where there was a space for her, as she assumed that at least a couple of her sisters would have opted to sleep there. Beca found a small space that she could easily fit in, and snuggled down under the comforter. Just as she got comfy Beca suddenly realised that she didn't realise who she was sharing her bed with. Or more accurately, she was too tired to be concerned with the fact that she knew exactly who was in the bed with her, as she could recognise Chloe's perfume from a mile off. And Stacie's too, but that was less of a significant point for Beca. The sophomore drifted off to sleep, letting her exhaustion take over.

Daisy woke up a few hours later with a throbbing headache and the overwhelming urge to throw up all the alcohol that she could feel making its way through her entire body. She could feel her heart racing, and it was like the vodka had seeped through her pores and had become a permanent part of her. She sat up, instantly regretting that move as the room started to spin. She slowly dragged herself up so she could get some water and begin to deal with the godawful hangover she was experiencing. Daisy staggered out the room and did just that. When she returned the freshman glanced at Beca's bed and was incredibly surprised at what she saw. Stacie was sleeping peacefully, oblivious to what was going on next to her. Beca had clearly returned at some point in the night and had clearly made herself comfortable. Chloe was lying on her side, and Beca was facing her with her face snuggled into Chloe's collarbone. The pair were intertwined in a mess of limbs, and both looked incredibly peaceful. If Daisy didn't know any better she would have assumed that the two had been a loving relationship for quite some time. She tried to contain her jealousy and passed out once more. One by one the Bellas woke up and were greeted with the same sight as Daisy had been earlier.

Eventually Chloe herself began to stir, initially confused by why she couldn't move her arms to stretch. She had woken feeling surprisingly well rested and content. When she eventually opened her eyes Chloe realised these feelings were most likely due to her current predicament – having Beca wrapped around her made Chloe feel at peace. She couldn't help but notice how beautiful her tiny best friend(?) was when she slept, and felt herself falling for her even more. Chloe's movements had roused Beca from her deep slumber, and she opened her eyes. The first thing Beca saw was Chloe's eyes twinkling at her, and she felt a soft smile grace her lips.

"Hi" Beca whispered

"Hey Beca" Chloe beamed sleepily, glad that things weren't awkward between them. Both girls were thinking the same thing, that ignoring Beca's confession was the safest way to avoid ruining their friendship. Even if doing so would feel soul destroying, to say the least.


	14. Chapter 14

Beca's comfort level dropped when she realised one key thing, Chloe knew how she felt. And she hadn't run. That was something at least. Beca could feel herself beginning to panic a little as she thought about last night, and the fact that Chloe would most likely want to talk to her about it. Which was perfectly reasonable, but Beca just wasn't sure if she would be able to do that. If Chloe started asking her about when she had a crush on her, Beca was pretty certain she would break. She would end up telling Chloe that it wasn't exactly a past crush, and that it was a lot more than a crush. Beca refused to allow her to think about it more than that, as she was almost certain that Chloe didn't see her that way. The girl left, clearly she wasn't interested in pursuing her little freshman friend – she literally flew across the world away from her. Beca knew that she wasn't exactly being fair to Chloe about that, but she also had a strong feeling that Chloe wasn't telling her precisely why she decided to go to Zambia. Beca made her mind up to ask Chloe about it when she left. Which, now she thought about it, Beca didn't know when that would be.

The rest of the day passed in a blur, with each of the Bellas going off to their classes and spending time with Chloe in between. Chloe was particularly keen to get to know Daisy a little, so she asked the girl to coffee that afternoon. Daisy had been shocked that this incredible person knew her name, let alone wanted to spend time with her. She just hoped that Chloe would like her. Daisy had arrived at the coffee shop a little early, as she figured being late wouldn't help her attempts to make Chloe her friend. She started to daydream a little thinking of how Beca must have become friends with Chloe last year.

"Hey Daisy?" Daisy blinked and saw the redheaded beauty in front of her that had been occupying her thoughts. She felt a blush spread through her cheeks as it occurred to her that she might come across as creepy if she didn't keep her thoughts to herself.

"Hi?" Chloe drew Daisy into a hug before sitting down opposite and chucking to herself lightly. Even her laugh was melodic and beautiful – a thought that ran through her companion's mind.

"You seem nervous. How are you?

"I umm.. Do I? I uh guess I am a little. Sorry about that."

"Awh sweetie why are you nervous? I just wanted to get to know the newest Bella that's all. I'm meeting jade later as well don't worry."

"It's just. You're a little intimidating. Cause you're…" Daisy gestured uselessly in front of her and tried to contain her blushing.

"Oh you poor thing. You shouldn't be intimidated by me! I'm just me. Chloe Beale." Chloe smiled warmly at the scared looking freshman in front of her. She couldn't help but notice the girl's natural beauty and effortless style. She wondered what an earth she could be intimidated by, and tried to think of ways to put the girl at ease.

"Exactly. You're Chloe Beale. The only person who truly understands Beca Mitchell, the only one she would trust with anything."

"Excuse me? Becs is my best friend, that's all. It's not a big deal." Chloe didn't quite know how to respond to Daisy, and started to worry where the conversation was going.

"It might not be a big deal to you, but you clearly mean everything to her. Her face lights up when she's talking about or to you. When I first met her at the activities fair she was scowling, but you called and her whole face lit up. And when you arrived she literally jumped on you. Before that I hadn't seen her hug anyone, not even her boyfriend. Ex now I guess. I'm rambling, but the point is you're special to Beca, and Beca's.. well Beca. Which makes you very intimidating, and I have a lot to learn from you." Chloe paused for a moment, deciphering her companions' jumbled thoughts. Suddenly things clicked into place.

"Do you like Beca sweetie? Sorry, I don't mean to pry, I just feel like you have a strong attachment to her and a desire to please her. Am I close?" Daisy felt her eyes glass over a little, this was the first time she had spoken to anyone about her feelings for her captain, and Chloe was so kind and such a good listener it was overwhelming. Chloe wasn't judging her, she was just trying to understand her feelings.

"I.. uhh. Maybe? I, well yes. It's just, she's so.. Beca. You know? Like she just has this vibe that makes me want to get to know her, and she's beautiful, obviously. And her body… well I would love to see what else she was hiding under those pajamas." Daisy raised her hands over her mouth, shocked that she had said all of that out loud. It was one thing for Chloe to know about her crush, but quite another for her to have to listen to a mere freshman objectify her friend.

"It's okay hun, you don't need to be embarrassed." Chloe smirked, a habit she'd picked up from Beca, and bit back a chuckle.

"What is it?"

"It's just funny how similar you and I are. Both used to getting attention from others for whatever reason, but both being overlooked by a tiny brunette who doesn't quite know how to love." Chloe smiled sadly as she spoke, well aware of what she was revealing to Daisy, but feeling it was necessary as the girl was being so candid with her.

"You have feelings for Beca? But then why aren't you with her? She clearly loves you, and if you feel the same way I don't understand why you're both single? Obviously my little crush is nothing compared to what you guys could have. I can't deny the chemistry you two have, it makes me kinda jealous if I'm being honest." Chloe was stunned.

"Of course she loves me, Beca's my best friend, and obviously best friends love each other. But she isn't interested in me romantically, if she were she wouldn't have chosen Jesse."

"But Chloe, maybe she didn't know that she was making a choice between you and Jesse? Maybe she just thought you weren't an option so went for the safest alternative? I'm sorry if I'm overstepping." Chloe gasped a little, feeling her heart drop. Daisy was talking a lot of sense, and it sounded exactly like something Beca would do. Of course Beca would be the only one to be unaware of Chloe's feelings towards her.

"Thank you Daisy, you've given me a lot to think about. I'll talk about it with Beca the next time I see her, I clearly need some answers."

"I, umm, wouldn't do that if I were you. Stacie would kill me if she knew I was telling you this, but the bellas kind of made a plan to get Beca to confess to you. So, uhh, would you mind waiting for that?" Chloe laughed, of course her sisters were doing all they could to help her cause.

"Of course, thanks for this Dais." Daisy blushed at the nickname, feeling like she had gotten a lot closer to the gorgeous girl in front of her in the last hour.

"It's nothing. The plan is happening tonight, so just wait til then kay?"

"Sure thing. Can't wait to see what they've planned. I'm sure alcohol and embarrassing anecdotes will be involved."

The girls finished their coffees and made their separate exits, both excited for the night ahead.

Chloe's coffee with (?) later was far less eventful, but still enjoyable, and Chloe thought the freshman was a wonderful addition to the Bellas.

It was late afternoon by the time Chloe headed back to Beca's apartment/dorm. She knew the girl would be either sleeping or mixing in there. Sure enough when Chloe opened the door - it honestly didn't even occur to her to knock - Beca was hunched over her laptop with her headphones on. Chloe spotted a worn looking notebook next to it, that Beca was clearly jotting things down in. She was incredibly curious about its contents, but figured that would come later. In the meantime she enveloped Beca in a tight hug from behind, laughing at the noticeable jolt of surprise and subsequent relaxed body language when Beca realised who it was.

"Ever heard of knocking Beale?"

"Of course I've heard of it."

"Well maybe try it next time."

"Oh Becs you're no fun, and even if I had knocked you wouldn't have heard me anyway. So it makes no difference really whether I knock or not."

"Ugh fine. But if you're gonna creep into my room can you at least let me see you rather than appear suddenly from behind?"

"You can see me whenever you like Becs. You've only got to say the word." Chloe winked at her friend, the insinuation very clear. Despite the awkwardness the night before Chloe still loved winding Beca up, after all it was just so easy. It never occurred to Chloe to consider why that was the case, although she did notice the sudden redness of Beca's cheeks. She felt oddly proud that she'd managed to invoke/evoke such a reaction.

"You always make it weird."

"You make that sound like a bad thing Becs." Chloe smiled widely as Beca scowled, unable to think of a witty retort.

"Becs you're already distracted so you might as well watch a movie with me now."

"Ugh fine. But you have to pick, and wait for me to get snacks." With that Beca disappeared into her kitchen, reappearing a few minutes later armed with chips, chocolate, and freshly microwaved popcorn.

"Awh Becs you got so much food!"

"I didn't know what you'd be in the mood for so figured I should bring you some options to choice from."

"You know Becs, for a badass you really are a cutie. Now come snuggle with me so we can start the movie." Beca hopped onto the bed next to Chloe, waiting for the movie to start. She was confused when Chloe continued to wait patiently beside her.

"Chlo? The movie?"

"I know. But you've forgotten a key thing. We can't watch movies without getting changed... sweatpants are just as important as snacks." Beca rolled her eyes dramatically, while secretly acknowledging the sense in what Chloe was saying. Without saying a word Beca grabbed two sets of sweatpants and oversized t shirts, tossing one of each to Chloe. Beca's jaw dropped a little of its own accord when Chloe immediately proceeded to change, stripping down to her underwear and stepping into Beca's clothes. Beca couldn't help but appreciate her friends body, which was even more toned and slender than she had remembered. Seeing it in person gave Beca an intense flashback to the many dreams she'd had about that body, and more specifically what it could do. She felt her pulse start to raise and her body temperature rise, particularly in a certain area.

"You're trying to kill me Beale." Becazs| muttered almost inaudibly to herself.

"What was that Becs?" Chloe smiled sweetly at her friend, completely unaware of the effect she was having on the sophomore.

"Nothing. I uh, it's just, that.. you, look good Chloe. Really good."

"Awh baby! You're the sweetest." Chloe swiftly closed the gap between them and engulfed Beca in a bone crushing hug. Beca instantly relaxed into it and nuzzled into the crook of Chloe's neck (although she would deny it if any of the Bellas ever found out - badasses do not hug like that). After the particularly lingering hug Beca quickly changed into her sweats and t-shirt, completely missing the way Chloe's eyes lingered on her body, and the subtle lick of the lips that followed the once over she was carrying out. In the past when the pair watched movies they started off side by side, but ended up cuddling by the end of it. As Beca started to get settled Chloe tossed another blanket over the two of them and pressed play.

She would never admit it, but Beca was terrified. She had been expecting another predictable romcom, that she would secretly enjoy, as she could at least watch Chloe smiling to it out of the corner of her eye. But this time Chloe had clearly tried to switch things up. IT was certainly a change. A horror film about a clown demon.. thing was proving too much for Beca to handle. They had been watching for all of five minutes when the clown cut off the majority of a little boy's arm. As soon as that happened Beca let out a little whimper and pulled the comforter up to cover her eyes, and ears. Chloe swiftly paused the movie and wrapped her arms around her friend.

"Come here Becs." She whispered gently. Beca responded immediately, rolling over so that she was almost on top of Chloe, with her head resting on Chloe's chest.

"I don't like clowns Clo."

"I know. But you always pretend to love horror movies so…"

"You were messing with me?"

"I couldn't help it Becs. Forgive me?" Beca grunted something inaudible and instantly relaxed as she felt Chloe's fingers run through her hair. Beca felt a wave of exhaustion hit her and she closed her eyes, falling asleep in a matter of minutes. Chloe heard Beca's breathing slow down and become a little deeper, and knew that the girl she loved had fallen asleep in her arms. That made her indescribably happy, but was also a bittersweet moment, as Chloe began to think of how much better this moment would feel if it were a romantic one, rather than just two friends cuddling. Chloe let herself daydream, eventually succumbing to sleep as well. The pair remained asleep in each other's arms for several hours, both getting a better rest than they'd had since they'd been separated a few months previously.

Stacie and the rest of the Bellas strolled into Beca's room, expecting to interrupt their captain while she was working on a mix. What none of them expected was to find Beca and Chloe fast asleep, in what looked like an incredibly intimate moment. Stacie swiftly took a few photos of the pair, knowing that capturing such a wonderful moment could be really important to both Beca and Chloe in the future. Seeing the two girls so openly affectionate with each other while not even being awake was what made Stacie become certain that they would become an item. What she didn't realise was how soon her prediction would come true.


	15. Chapter 15

The next morning Beca came to slowly, feeling more well rested than she had since before her parents divorced. Her whole body was relaxed and warm, and for the first time in years her head wasn't pounding and there wasn't a dull ache behind her eyes that not even coffee seemed to fully fix. Beca was too busy enjoying her current state to fully take in her surroundings, or more precisely why she was so comfortable and warm. Beca had woken in her own bed so hadn't initially realised what was special about this particular morning – this changed as soon as the bundle of warmth she was on top of moved. Beca's eyes snapped open and she lifted her head, looking at a delicate collarbone and chest that was rising and falling in a gentle rhythm. Chloe. Beca's mind went back to the previous night and she realised that she must have fallen asleep in Chloe's arms during that god-awful horror movie. Beca normally hated sleeping in such close proximity to anyone, but having her head nuzzled into Chloe's chest felt like home. Beca's arms had found their way around Chloe's neck in the night and Chloe's were grasping Beca's waist tightly. As absurd as it sounds, and Beca would never admit this, but it felt as if Chloe was protecting her from the dangers of the world. And Beca didn't hate the feeling of their legs intertwined either. Like at all. In fact—

"Beca?" Daisy barged into the room carelessly without so much as a knock. She clearly had no idea how to function as a considerate human Beca thought bitterly to herself. She still hadn't woken up fully so didn't realise how the position that she was currently in must look to anyone with eyes, such as the overly eager freshman that was currently standing gormlessly in front of her. Beca couldn't help but notice that Daisy looked particularly nice at, what she presumed was, such an early time of day. She'd clearly made an effort, Beca wondered whether Daisy was going on a date later or something, as it definitely looked like she was trying to impress someone. It didn't even cross Beca's mind that she was the very person that the freshman was trying to attract the attention of.

"I… uh. I can come back?"

"What? Why? Now's fine what do you need?" Beca knew that her words sounded a little harsh, but she just didn't have the patience to be nicer to the girl in front of her. Daisy was silent for a few seconds, trying to process the scene in front of her. She felt incredibly awkward just watching Beca and Chloe, who were wrapped up together so tightly that she couldn't quite figure out where one body ended and the other began. So this was a lovers embrace, Daisy tried to fight back tears as she realised fully that Beca was a completely different person around people that she truly trusted and cared for, and loved.

"I was looking for Chloe, I wanted to ask her something and the other Bellas said you would know where she would be."

"Well you found her." Beca chuckled, the first genuine laugh that she had ever directed at Daisy. Her face was full of mirth, and she looked completely content. Daisy felt oddly happy about this even though the cause of her crush's wonderful mood crushed her. Daisy assumed from the scene in front of her that the pair clearly had a far more physical relationship than the other Bellas were aware of. Beca realised that Daisy didn't know how to respond to such an upbeat version of herself, the girls eyes were a little too wide and she was doing a remarkable impression of a frightened deer. Beca did the girl a favour for once and filled the silence.

"It's just funny that last year if anyone was looking for me I would be with Chloe and vice versa. But she has been gone for a couple months, it's nice to be back to that, even if it's just for a little while." Chloe let out a melodious chuckle indicating that she was finally awake and cuddled Beca even closer to her, savouring the fact that the sophomore melted into the embrace rather than tensing up as she used to. Clearly she wasn't averse to Chloe's touch anymore.

"Aww Becs you're adorable. My little cutie." Rather than rolling her eyes at this as Daisy expected, Beca smiled that insanely hot half smile thing that she does and blew a raspberry into Chloe's chest.

"Not cute Chlo. Badass."

"If you say so sweetie." Daisy was about to leave the room as she was increasingly aware of the intimate moment that she was interrupting. As she turned to do so Chloe stopped her.

"Dais? How are you? What did you want to talk to me about? As you can see I'm not exactly ready for the day but if you give me ten minutes I'll shower and change and you can chat to me over breakfast. Sound good?"

"Uhh? Yeah? That sounds good, but it's noon so you might want brunch things instead?"

"We slept til noon? Becs why didn't you wake me, you know I like morning work outs." Beca snickered at the playfully whiny tone of Chloe's voice.

"I can't wake you when I'm unconscious Chlo."

"Ugh I hate it when you're all reasonable Becs. Go back to being moody that's much more fun to ruin for you."

Daisy couldn't help smiling at the pair's vibe and left the room to allow Chloe to get ready for the day. True to her word Chloe came into the kitchen where Daisy was waiting a few minutes later looking like she'd spent hours perfecting her appearance. Her clothes were simple, just faded black skinny jeans and an oversized gray sweatshirt. These were clearly Becas and somehow the more edgy look that Chloe was currently sporting gave her a mysterious aura and made Daisy stare at her slightly gormlessly.

"Hey Dais, are you okay? You look a little lost hun."

"I, it's just. I've never seen you wear such dark clothes." Chloe looked down at herself, seemingly forgetting that her current attire.

"Oh yeah I didn't have any more clean clothes with me so I borrowed some of Becs."

"Ah, that's nice."

"Yeah that one certainly knows where to buy comfy things from. So what did you want to ask me about?" Daisy faltered a little at this, trying to be careful with how you approached a subject that made her a little embarrassed.

"This is going to sound stupid. But I uh. I was wondering if you could help me. With Beca. She doesn't seem to like me, like at all, and I don't know how to fix that." Daisy's words came out fast as she struggled to look Chloe in the eye.

"Aww Dais that's so sweet. But it's only Becs. She's so easy to please, you hardly need my help with that."

"I definitely do Chloe! Like is there anything that she doesn't like, umm so does she have any pet peeves or things like that which I should avoid doing?"

"Ah, yes. A fair few actually. Don't: try to make her like you, wake her up under any circumstances, take her headphones out, use more words than necessary when you need something from her, make her watch a movie, come to her room without checking first, surprise her in general, downplay her mixes, make short jokes, bring up her parents, make fun of her—"

"Oh wow, would you mind writing all of that down? I've definitely done a lot of those. She just makes me so nervous and it's hard not to babble, and I always try to make her like me just as I thought that would be the best way to go."

"Daisy take a breath, it's okay. You're just overthinking things a little too much. But you'll be fine I know it." The two continued chatting for a while until Daisy felt a lot better, she felt so grateful for the older girl and all her kindness.

That night the Bellas were due to go to an acapella party so were gathered in Stacie's kitchen for a potluck so that they could all get ready and pregame together. True to form Beca was running late as she had been immersed in a particularly challenging mix. The sophomore burst into the kitchen breathing heavily, with a backpack on clutching a pyrex dish.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late. I got distracted." Beca put her contribution on the table quickly and smiled awkwardly at her friends, her eyes meeting Chloe's.

"What did you make Beca?" Daisy kept her question short and not seem too desperate, remembering the advice Chloe had given her that afternoon. Beca seemed to appreciate her efforts and didn't give her such a snarky response as usual.

"It's courgette and lemon pappardelle with pine nuts." Beca's cheeks flushed a little as she spoke, Daisy didn't have to wait long to find out why.

"Aww Becs you're the best! I didn't think anyone would make something I can eat, let alone my favourite!" Chloe's face lit up as she eyed the food, and she bounded over to Beca and pulled her into a tight embrace. She grabbed the girl's hand and pulled her over to the spare seat beside her.

"Oh I'm so sorry Chloe, I always forget that you don't eat meat." Stacie smiled at Chloe apologetically and gratefully at Beca.

"Shawshank never forgets anything about her beloved Beale."

"She's not my beloved—"

"Beca forgets the day but never Chloe's eating habits."

"Why doesn't Chloe eat meat?" Daisy's interruption of the Bella's lighthearted chatter as her curiosity took over.

"Animals are like totes adorbs and I could never contribute to their murder. Once I realised that meat is dead animals I stopped eating it. Duh!" Beca smirked as she finished a spot on impression of Chloe, even capturing the older girl's mannerisms and facial expressions.

"Aww Bec you do listen to me!" While Chloe was chuckling at Beca's antics the rest of the Bellas stared at their leader in slightly stunned silence, shocked that Beca was physically being so perky, even if it was only for a few seconds.

The rest of the meal passed without event, as the girls got excited for the night ahead. Once everyone had gotten showered, and ready for the party they gathered in a circle in Stacie's living room. There were cushions scattered on the floor so everyone would be comfortable, as Stacie had an agenda with the pregame.

"Sit down gals!"

"Stace. Whyyyy." Beca's whining was both amusing and irrelevant as she sat down next to Chloe all the same, with Jade on her other side simply by chance.

"Beca, stop complaining so we can play."

"What are we playing? You know in Aus—"

"Ames I love you but we're not playing another one of your crazy games."

"Ugh fine, you twig bitches just don't appreciate greatness when it's right in front of you. I mean it's almost as if—"

"Yup Ames that's definitely it. So now you've said your piece we're good to start. The game is called chicken and it's so much fun." As she spoke Stacie's eyes glistened mischievously and a smirk graced her lips.

"How do you play?"

"Oh Jade, you sweet thing, of course you've never played this before. It's very simple, two people play at a time, so you play with the person to your right. The two face each other, gradually getting closer until one person is the chicken and pulls away. A good round of chicken is one where neither person pulls away and they actually make out. No pressure Bellas but I'm expecting at least one good round." Stacie chuckled at Jade's shocked expression and her eyes met Chloe's, the lingering glance between the pair communicating volumes silently. Chloe was incredibly grateful to the scheming sophomore and just hoped that this game would end the way she wanted, and she knew that Stacie had manoeuvred this situation for her benefit, even making sure that Beca was sitting next to Chloe. Beca zoned out while the girls went round in a circle playing, with the winners so far being Stacie, Amy, Cynthia Rose and surprisingly, Daisy. Beca had chuckled a little to herself when she saw the look of terror in Jade's face as Daisy got closer and closer—"Becs?"

"Huh?"

"It's our turn sweetie." Chloe gently reminded Beca that it was time for something she had been dreading. Beca was well aware of her attraction to her best friend, but she could ignore an attraction. What she couldn't ignore were actual romantic feelings, which she feared she would start to develop once she knew what it would be like to kiss Chloe. Beca knew that after that there would be no turning back, and she would actually have to act on it. The game may not require either person to kiss, but Beca knew that Chloe had a competitive streak in her just like she did, so it was very likely that neither of them would be backing down. The other Bellas waited with baited breath as Beca and Chloe slowly moved closer towards each other. Stacie had demanded that each pair stood up, starting at opposite ends of the room and walk into the centre until one chickened out. Beca and Chloe were no exception; within seconds they were only a stride apart. The tension in the room was palpable, as both Beca and Chloe hesitated momentarily before closing the gap between them. Unsurprisingly neither girl moved away, they became impossibly close and simultaneously their lips came together. Chloe's whole body was tingling as she felt Beca wrap her arms gently around Chloe's neck and her fingers gripped onto her fiery tresses. Beca's brain had gone into overdrive and it felt like she had no control over her body, it was acting on pure instinct. The pair became closer by the second, as both girls finally got to taste the girl she'd been dreaming about. Chloe was so lost in the moment that she felt like she was fantasising again, she couldn't quite believe that Beca was kissing her. And it wasn't just any kiss, it was truly incredible, the kind of kiss that she would be thinking about while taking a cold shower in the future. Beca's tongue had quickly found hers, and was somehow being passionate yet incredibly gentle. It felt like Beca was kissing with a genuine tenderness that also made Chloe's knees feel weak. Little did Chloe know that, although subconsciously, that was exactly what Beca was doing. The pair were moving in perfect synchronicity, moving to a rhythm that was theirs and theirs alone. Beca was completely overwhelmed with how amazing she felt to be finally living out one of her many fantasies, kissing Chloe just felt, right. No doubt the girl was a good kisser, but she was also soft and gentle, which somehow Beca hadn't anticipated.

While both girls felt like their kiss was gentle, it was a very different picture for the Bellas watching. The two were so close it was almost hard to tell where one body ended and the other began, and it looked like they were going to start shedding clothes at any second. Stacie smirked to herself, pleased that her plan had worked, but she also didn't want to subject the more sensitive Bellas to what she knew would follow, as she could see that Beca's hands were starting to wander.

"I think we have a winning pair guys." Stacie loudly interrupted the pair, as it had been several minutes of silent observation and the tension was overwhelming. Beca and Chloe stared at each other in stunned silence, waiting for someone to speak.

"Now that you two have finally got that first kiss out the way it's time for you to talk it out. Go to my room, and don't leave until it's sorted." Stacie swiftly grabbed both girls by the wrist and deposited them in her room, shutting the door behind her as she heading back to the other Bellas.


	16. Chapter 16

Chloe was completely frozen, unable to form words as she stared at Beca, willing the sophomore to take the lead for once. Beca looked equally shell-shocked, as she was pacing up and down Stacie's room, her eyes fixed on the floor. Chloe felt her stomach drop; if Beca couldn't even look her in the eye then she must regret the kiss. It must have been just because of the game, nothing more. Chloe sighed silently as she began to question every suspicion that she had felt over the last few days that maybe Beca reciprocated her feelings. In Chloe's experience when two people liked each other and they had kissed, that usually lead to more kissing and some sort of talk about where things were going. So the silence and obvious lack of kissing clearly meant that Beca didn't like her back. Chloe refused to admit to herself that "like" wasn't even close to a satisfactory description of her feelings.

Meanwhile Beca felt like crying with joy and frustration, she had finally kissed the girl she had been dreaming about for months, but was too scared to actually talk to her about it. Beca wanted more than anything for Chloe to comfort her and say everything was okay and for them to maybe kiss again, but she realised that this time it was her turn to take responsibility. Chloe was always the one taking the lead and it wasn't fair on her for Beca to expect her to say anything as Beca had given her no obvious indication that she was interested in the first place.

"Chlo. Uhh." Beca glanced nervously at Chloe as the girl's eyes snapped up at the sudden sound.

"Yeah Becs?" Chloe's voice sounded so timid that Beca just wanted to hold her in her arms and convey even the smallest bit of comfort to try and make her feel better. So, acting completely out of character, she did just that. Beca swiftly crossed the room and held Chloe in an intimate embrace. That single movement seemed to reassure the girl, Beca stroked Chloe's back as she felt the redhead let her chin rest on her shoulder. The pair stayed like that for what felt like hours, until Beca broke the silence, feeling bold as Chloe hadn't run away from her in complete disgust. Beca's hands dropped to Chloe's wrists and she stepped back so that she could look into her bestfriend's beautiful blue eyes.

"I like you Chloe. A lot." She mumbled the game changing utterance so softly that Chloe almost didn't hear her. Chloe stepped back and chuckled, giving Beca a dazzling smile that made her tingle all over.

"I like you too Becs. I kinda have to, you're my best friend."

"No Chlo. I like you."

"I know Becs, we're best friends."

"I don't like you as a friend."

"Wait what? So you've just been pretending to be my friend this whole time?"

Chloe felt tears start to form as she tried to process the concept of Beca not even liking her as a friend. Beca on the other hand quickly realised that Chloe was completely misunderstanding what she was trying to tell her, so opted to show her instead as words clearly weren't helping.

"I like you Chlo." Beca took Chloe's hands in hers and pulled the startled redhead towards her in one surprisingly coordinated movement, trying to convey her feelings once more. Beca's lips softly came into contact with Chloe's and she felt overwhelmed with joy. This was the moment that she had been dreaming about for months, and yet, something that Beca hadn't been able to bring herself to consider was happening. Beca had been kissing Chloe for a few seconds and it still wasn't being reciprocated, she could feel the redhead's entire body was tensed up and she was shaking a little. Beca's heart shattered. She stepped back, dropped Chloe's hands and ran from the room.

Chloe couldn't quite believe what had happened. She was still processing the fact that the girl she had fallen for actually felt the same way. It wasn't until a few moments later that Chloe realised that she hadn't responded; she had been too full of joy and shock to actually kiss Beca back. No doubt Beca now felt like Chloe didn't share her feelings and was probably unsure where that left their friendship. She darted back into Stacie's living room, expecting to see Beca there, so that she could quickly sort the misunderstanding out before things escalated.

"Hey guys, where's Beca?"

"She's gone, gingah."

"What did you do to her?"

"She looked like you broke her favourite headphones."

"You need to find her."

"She isn't okay Chloe."

The other Bellas spoke at once, telling Chloe all that she needed to know. She had let her bestfriend down and needed to fix things between them immediately. Without a word Chloe left the apartment and headed for Beca's. Within minutes she was at the other girl's door knocking loudly.

"Beca? Beca open up it's me. We need to talk. Please." Chloe repeatedly yelled through the door until she realised that Beca was either ignoring her or wasn't there. Either way she wasn't going to leave until they had spoken again. She sat down in front of the door and waited, Beca would eventually leave or return, either way she would have to face Chloe as she was literally blocking her path.

Unbeknownst to Chloe, Beca had left Stacie's headed to her apartment to change and headed on a run. She needed to clear her head and stop herself from doing something incredibly self destructive, so quite literally running away from her problems seemed like the best solution. Beca ran for hours, images of Chloe's face refusing to leave her. Beca just couldn't get over the fact that in a few short minutes she had lost the one person she held dear. Chloe had been completely unresponsive, and somehow that was worst than if she had reacted angrily. Beca could feel her defences going up, she knew that Chloe's rejection would change her for the worse. She was regressing back to her freshman self, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Eventually Beca became so dehydrated that she stopped crying, and was unable to run anymore. She had been subconsciously running laps around campus, and was currently as far away from her apartment as it was possible to be while still on campus. Beca signed with frustration, walking back to her apartment at a leisurely pace, simply because her exhausted legs refused to cooperate at a faster pace. It was mid morning by the time Beca returned, she opened the door and stumbled straight into the shower. Despite the heartbreak, Beca was incredibly tense and she knew there was only way to get any sort of release. She put Titanium on a loop, grabbed her trusty vibrator (thank god she opted for the waterproof model) and set her mind to the task at hand. Round after round of tension was released as she thought back to how Chloe's lips felt against her own, and how the rest of her body would feel under her. An hour flew by, and Beca eventually left the shower feeling relaxed, or at least as relaxed as she could be given her current predicament. She threw on some shorts and an oversized t-shirt and collapsed onto her bed. Without any warning Beca's whole body started to shake and she starting sobbing uncontrollably. She had never cried like this, not even when her parents divorced. Beca wept for hours, the wailing coming from her mouth sounding completely heartbroken, even to her own ears. Eventually Beca ran out of energy and fell asleep, but even then she was not at peace. Chloe haunted her dreams in the most cruel way, many scenarios were played out, in each one the pair were together, before Chloe rejected Beca. In a particularly unbearable dream Beca and Chloe were kissing in Chloe's bed, completely overtaken by lust and love. Beca was completely naked, and in the process of stripping Chloe. Just when Beca was about to enter her Chloe laughed and pulled away.

"I only want to experiment with you Beca. You didn't think I actually wanted to have sex with you did you? Eww. That's what lesbians do." Beca felt herself start to cry and couldn't leave the room fast enough.

She woke with a start, feeling her pillow soaked with fresh tears. Beca jolted upright and reached for her phone. She was shocked at what she saw, it was midday and she had been unconscious for two days. Beca saw that all forms of her social media had gone crazy while she was sleeping, and was anxious to distract herself with that. She started with her texts, all from the Bellas who were clearly very concerned.

 _What happened with Chloe?_

 _Did Chloe find you?_

 _I know a guy who can make Chloe disappear if that would help_

 _Where did you go?_

 _Are you okay?_

 _We're here for you whenever you're ready to talk_

 _I'm so sorry Beca_

 _Where are you?_

 _Chloe's looking for you_

 _Do you want to talk about it?_

 _We could go drinking together?_

 _Seriously what's happened to you_

 _This isn't healthy_

 _Are you alive?_

 _Rebecca Mitchell get your head out of your arse, it is not a hat, and Chloe needs you to talk to her_

Beca chuckled at the message from Aubrey, although she couldn't help feeling disgruntled that Aubrey assumed that Beca was in the wrong, when she had been the one who cried herself to sleep. She decided to reply quickly and move on to her other apps and see what she had missed.

 _Guys I'm fine, I was just sleeping. No I don't want to talk about it_

Beca muted the chat so that she could ignore the Bellas for a little while longer. She decided to be a little more honest with Aubrey, for God knows what reason, as she couldn't bring herself to lie to her former captain.

 _Aubrey Chloe broke me and I don't think I will truly recover for a very long time. I've lost the one person I need the most. Chloe clearly doesn't need me, she wants nothing to do with me and I don't know how to come to terms with that_

Aubrey's response was almost instant, and the two went back and forth for a while, a conversation which left Beca feeling even more confused than before.

 _Beca what are you talking about_

 _I told Chloe that I liked her and I kissed her. She didn't reciprocate and just stared back at me so I ran. I haven't seen or heard from her since_

 _That doesn't sound right, Chloe called me sounding hysterical, saying something about you leaving her_

 _I left her in Stacie's room because I couldn't face her anymore. She doesn't feel the same way I do, that's all I need to know_

 _Beca she does_

 _Nope_

 _I swear on my Dad's life, that girl has had a big ol' toner for you since day one_

 _Again, nope_

 _It really isn't my place to say this, but the next time you talk to Chloe ask her why she left Barden at the end of last year_

Beca didn't know what to make of Aubrey's claims as they weren't making any sense. Chloe had had plenty of time to tell Beca that she was interested in her, and she hadn't. Beca was too stubborn to see that things had been far more complicated than that. She scrolled down her texts to see several from the one girl she didn't want to be thinking about at this moment in time.

 _Becs where are you? I'm outside your door waiting for you_

 _I'll be here until you're ready, but we really need to talk about this_

 _You left before I had the chance to say anything_

 _Becs please_

 _I need you here_

 _Where are you?_

 _It's been hours_

 _I'm going back to Stacie's to shower but I'm not dropping this_

 _I'm outside yours again_

 _Please let me in_

 _I know you can't still be out_

 _You know I could set Lilly on you_

 _Okay sorry I'll stop with the jokes now_

 _But for serious, please talk to me_

 _Beca it's been two days and I'm flying back later today_

 _I really don't want to leave Barden with you not talking to me_

 _Okay well I'm on the plane now and about to change back to my other number. Just know that I love you and I can't imagine my life without you. Please talk to me_

As Chloe sat on the plane, she felt like a cruel role reversal had taken place since the last time she had left the US. This time Beca was the one ignoring Beca, and she didn't know how she could fix it. She had spent the better part of two days outside of Beca's door waiting for the girl she cared so deeply for to finally let her explain. Part of Chloe was tempted just to tell her about her feelings over text, but she knew deep down that she wanted to be looking Beca straight in the eye when she tells her that she loves her. So she waited, and waited, until finally she had to go to the airport.

Chloe hoped that maybe by the time she returned to Barden in the fall Beca would be willing to listen to her and let get back to their usual selves. Chloe knew that she had fallen for Beca a long time ago, she had never imagined that Beca would feel the same way, or that her declaration of her feelings would lead to the pair not talking. Chloe couldn't help but feel frustrated with Beca, the girl just hadn't let her process such mindblowing news. If Beca had simply waited a minute Chloe would have thrown herself into her arms and they could finally make some progress towards being together. Chloe sighed sadly to herself, willing away the rest of the year so that she could see Beca again and tell her how she felt.

While Chloe was in the air Beca was reading through all of the texts from Chloe. She started sobbing once more, and tried to decipher what they meant. Chloe definitely felt bad, which meant that maybe she didn't hate Beca. Although the girl was so lovely she was nicer to the few people she hated than those that Beca actually liked. Beca wanted more than anything to see Chloe again, just to hug her and feel safe again. But she knew that as Chloe didn't love her back that seeing her again would be a bad idea. Beca's emotions were still completely raw, and she knew that they would be for a long time. So she did what she did best, Beca shut Chloe out. She figured that letting the relationship fall apart would be less painful than coming to terms with a rejection that was shaking her to her core. It wasn't an arrogance thing, Beca just felt so hurt that Chloe didn't love her romantically, as she had never had to deal with rejection before. So she dealt out a little rejection of her own.

 _Chlo you broke me, the last thing I want to do is talk to you. Please just leave me alone_

Beca tried to phrase the message as gently as possible, but ultimately she was telling Chloe to get lost, and there was nothing gentle about that. She knew that she was being a little cruel but just couldn't bring herself to give Chloe the chance to explain herself, as that would mean reliving that godawful night.

The next few weeks flew by in a blur, with Beca only leaving her room or the station for classes and Bellas rehearsals. The girls had initially waited patiently for Beca to tell them what was going on with her, as she had been ignoring all of them for absolutely no reason, and refusing to use more than one sentence in response to anyone. But this was getting ridiculous. Beca was sullen and silent whenever possible, her eyes had developed an intensity that was almost frightening. They were now almost always slightly wet looking, and whenever she made eye contact it felt like she was staring right into that person's soul. Stacie decided to interfere by physically dragging Beca to her apartment, neglecting to tell her that it was a Bellas bonding night.

"Beca. Enough is enough. Tonight you're getting drunk and we are going to talk about it. You know exactly what I'm referring to." Beca rolled her eyes but stayed silent as Stacie opened the door.

"Big Shawshank. Wassup."

"Hey Ames, guys."

"I missed you shortstack, we all did." Amy bounded over to Beca and crushed the reluctant sophomore into a tight hug. The other Bellas leapt at the chance for a group hug, all revelling in their leaders discomfort. Eventually they released Beca and the games began.

A few hours later Beca woke up face down in an unfamiliar bed, her head pounding. She had no memory of the bonding night after she started drinking, while was almost as soon as she sat down. Trust Amy's mysterious concoctions to get her blackout drunk, although she had certainly needed to let her hair down. Beca's brain slowly started to function a little better, enough for her to realise that she was completely naked. She sat bold upright and looked around the room and seeing that she wasn't in fact alone. Her bed companion was fast asleep, a few distinguishable features giving away who it was in a matter of seconds. Beca felt nothing but guilt as she processed what she must have done last night.

"Shit."


	17. Chapter 17

Beca moved as fast as her pounding head would allow out of the bed, stumbling around trying to find her clothes. Beca and her "friend" had clearly drawn out the foreplay, as it took Beca what felt like hours to get dressed as the component parts of her outfit were scattered across the room she had woken up in, as well as the kitchen and the sitting room.

She left the house without a word and hoped the memories of last night would never come back to her. Beca felt nothing but guilt, like she had just cheated on Chloe. She quickly brushed that thought aside, it was absurd to treat the woman that rejected her like a girlfriend. Beca wishes that—

"Beca?"

"What uhh huh? Beca was snapped out of her thoughts by a triumphant looking Stacie smiling mischievously at her.

"Never thought I'd see you doing a stride of pride Beca. Let's get coffee and you can tell me all about it."

"There's nothing to be proud of here Stace."

"Ugh you're no fun."

"Not trying to be. How about we get food later when I've washed last night off."

"Ooh good to know you got a little messy…"

"Nope. Not what I meant. Please just let me shower and forget this ever happened."

"Fine."

"Oh. And please don't tell anyone. Or I'll have to tell Aubrey about—"

"You're the worst you know that?"

"Yep. Bye Stace!"

Beca increased her pace going back to her apartment, desperate not to have any more encounters with her friends.

That afternoon Daisy was walking into her cousin's apartment, looking forward to the catch up the girl had been promising her for weeks. Although Daisy had formed a considerable number of friends since she had arrived at Barden, this was nothing in comparison to her cousin Aurora. It felt to her like Aurora was better than her in every way. She was incredibly intelligent, getting almost perfect grades with minimum effort. She had natural shimmering blonde hair that bordered on being white, almost translucent pale skin and breath-taking green eyes that sparkled with mischief. She had an almost ethereal beauty instantly attracted those around her. Her cheeks were littered with freckles, in a way that somehow added to her intrigue. Aurora was that impossible mix of incredibly judgemental but somehow loved by all. She was the head of Phi Mu, Barden's most selective sorority. That alone made Aurora the undisputed most popular girl on campus, which was something that Daisy found incredibly intimidating at times. It felt like no matter what she did she could never live up to her cousin's legacy, but she loved her like a sister all the same.

"Daisy! Hi, how are you? It's been way too long since I last saw you." Aurora drew her cousin into a tight hug, as she had genuinely missed the girl she viewed as adorable. Despite how time had passed, Aurora still saw Daisy as the scrawny little eight year old with half her teeth missing and the cutest beaming smile. The pair sat down on Aurora's sofa and started to catch up.

"Hey! I missed you. But you've been too busy to see me."

"I know and I'm sorry, but it's good to see you today as I have some news.."

"Sounds ominous."

"No, not at all. It's.. I think I like someone. Like, really like." Aurora was blushing, and her English was becoming slightly harder to understand as her accent became more pronounced due to her nerves. Unlike Daisy, Aurora had grown up in Norway and had only moved to the US for college, so she had that European sounding accent when she spoke English. Just another thing that attracted people.. Daisy had to snap herself out of that thought as she refocused on the girl in front of her.

"So, who's the lucky guy you've been dating?" Daisy felt herself getting excited, she was incredibly curious about who her beautiful cousin would be attracted to.

"Well I'm not dating anybody.. yet. But she's amazing. I never felt so strongly after sex before." Daisy laughed, confusing Aurora.

"Why are you laughing? Bisexuality isn't a joke you know."

"I know, it's just.. I never told you that I'm bi because I thought you would judge me. So it's kinda funny that we're in the same boat."

"Oh, well I can't say I'm surprised. The way you talk about some of your fellow Bellas… I mean."

Daisy blushed furiously, thoughts of Beca and Chloe overwhelming her. It was undeniable that she was attracted to Beca, and wanted much more than she knew the older girl would ever want to give her. But meeting the sophomore's friend Chloe had added more confusion for the poor freshman, as she found herself completely in awe of the woman who had so completely infiltrated the boundaries of the prickly little Bella captain. Daisy knew that a woman like that was worth more than her weight in gold, and she found it incredibly attractive. Beca had an enigmatic streak to her, but Chloe had been a total mystery for months. Daisy had heard whispers of her from the other Bellas but never—

"Dais?"

"Huh? Yeah? Uh yeah. What did you say?"

"I was just remarking on your fondness of some of the other Bellas…"

"Oh, well we're all sisters so I kind of have to like them you know"

"Poor baby. You know that's not what I was getting at. You have feelings for one of them I think. You should let me meet her."

"Really? You. Want to meet my friends?"

"Of course Dais, why wouldn't I?" Aurora blinked at her through those thick lashes of hers, genuinely confused about why her cousin thought she wouldn't want to know the people she was so close to.

"I just, well, don't take this the wrong way.. but you can be a little judgy sometimes. And the Bellas are amazing, but they're quirky. And I thought you might judge them and think they were weird." Aurora wrinkled her nose at this, mainly because Daisy was completely correct. But her experience with this incredible girl last night had made Aurora think that maybe she should take a new approach to people, as she had done that a few hours ago and had a mindblowing few hours of passion to think back on for months, or even years to come. Yes, the sex with the enigmatic stranger had been that good. Aurora's mind began to wander, thinking about her beautiful—

"Dais. You're right. But I'm trying to change. Let me meet them sometime?" Daisy felt overwhelmed with happiness that her cousin wanted to meet the Bellas, she just had one concern, that Aurora would be preferred to her.

"There's a party at the Bellas house tonight actually, come? I say party, I mean we'll be playing a loud of drinking games and passing out on the floor, but that sounds fun? Right?" Aurora smiled at the younger girl's eagerness.

"It does sound fun. I'll be there. We could head over together?"

The girls continued chatting for another hour or so until Aurora had to go to her law lecture.

A few hours later Daisy found herself knocking on the door of the Bellas house, feeling her stomach drop a little as Stacie opened the door.

"Daisy! Hey? How are you?" Stacie hugged the freshman excitedly and ushered her into the house and through to the sitting room. Daisy sat across from Stacie on the sofa awkwardly, unable to get comfortable.

"Stacie, I uh. Can I ask you something?"

"You already are hun." Stacie smirked as she saw and heard Aurora gulp.

"I, well. Is it okay if my cousin joins us here tonight?"

"You have a cousin from around here? How did I not know this?"

"Oh, well she goes to Barden actually. And she's heard a lot about you guys from me and she wanted to meet you all. So I told her to come tonight. I hope that's okay."

"Aww you tell her about us. You're such a cutie." Stacie cooed as she pinched the younger girl's cheeks, much like a grandma would do to her grandchildren. Despite her veracious sexuality Stacie had recently started to see Daisy more like a younger sister that she could look after and embarrass, and had begun treating her accordingly. The two chatted away until it was time for Daisy to go home and get ready. Stacie had raised an eyebrow at this, knowing that none of the Bellas cared what each other wore to their drinking sessions. But then again, they also didn't have a raging toner for one of their own. Stacie smiled to herself, not wanting to reveal her knowledge of Daisy's affections to the girl in question.

Aurora knocked on Daisy's door early that evening, ready to meet this group of girls she had heard so much about. She just hoped they were worthy of all the admiration her cousin bestowed upon them. She didn't show it often, but Aurora truly did adore Daisy and just wanted her to be happy. Even if Aurora herself had often unintentionally had the opposite impact in the past. The door opened swiftly and Daisy threw herself onto the older girl.

"Hey! You came!" Daisy nuzzled into the crook of Aurora's neck, feeling nothing but joy that her cousin had actually made the effort to meet her friends.

"Of course I came silly! I said I would!"

"Yeah, but it's Saturday night. And I know your sorority and other friends always have plans."

"Honey I wanted to come. Your friends must be really special as you speak so highly of them, and I can see my friends anytime." Daisy smiled, pausing as she gave the beautiful girl a once over. She felt flooded with dismay, and her face must have reflected her change in mood, as Aurora instantly picked up on it.

"What's wrong sweetie? Did I say something to upset you?" Aurora's eyes showed nothing but concern as she grasped her cousins hands.

"No you didn't upset me. It's just that, you look amazing. And I'm worried they're going to prefer you to me."

"Don't be silly princess. They're your friends, I'll just be there in the background to see what they are like."

Aurora felt a little sad, knowing that most likely the opposite would be true, and that this was unfair on her beloved cousin. But she hadn't been able to stop herself as she got ready, she wanted to impress these girls. Despite her own social status as the head of Phi Mu, the bellas probably wouldn't care about that, so she needed to earn their respect. And Aurora had found in the past that looking her best helped significantly with that endeavour. So she had styled her long blond hair with a double shampoo and conditioning session so that it smelled even better than usual, dousing the ends in argon oil and even bringing out her curling iron. The end result was fragrant hair that had an unbelievable shine to it that fell in loose waves across her back. Aurora had tried to keep her outfit simple, but had still managed to find her favourite black pants that made her ass and legs look enviable to put it mildly, pairing it with her favorite knee high black boots, a black camisole that had a touch of lace and her beloved black leather jacket. Pulling the outfit together with her usual jewellery and make up that she spent just a little extra time on, and Aurora looked stunning. The pair headed to the Bella house as Daisy began to regret the invitation she'd so eagerly made a few hours earlier.

Daisy knocked on the door, relief flooding her as Fat Amy answered.

"What up twiglet, how's it hanging? Before Daisy had a chance to respond Amy spotted Aurora, who was standing a little behind her cousin, not wanted to intrude.

"Do you attract other stick insects or—?" Amy was interrupted by Stacie's arrival at the door.

"Ames come on it's rude to let people wait outside when we have all the liquor inside. Hey Daisy, come on in." Stacie smiled reassuringly at the freshman, who was clearly nervous. She didn't spot the beauty standing behind her until the two headed into the house. When Stacie saw Aurora she felt her mouth go dry. This girl was breathing-taking, beautiful, hot, out of this world… the praise could continue for hours. Her stomach dropped as she felt herself in a very rare predicament, she was completely speechless. Thankfully Amy was pulling Daisy by the wrist into the sitting room, and Aurora was following, giving Stacie time to regain her wits. She whipped out her phone quickly, typing frantically into the Bellas group chat.

 _Conrad: SOS. There is an angel in our house. Try not to blink dumbly at her like I did._

 _Shortstack: You didn't. You're lying. Conrad you flirt with anything with a pulse._

 _Fat Amy Winehouse: It's true. She was as silent as a lamb that's just been ravished by a bear_

 _CR: Damn C. This girl must be special. I'm coming now_

 _Conrad: I bet you are_

 _Commander: I hope you welcomed the girl properly Stacie, you can't just stare at people, it's rude._

Within minutes all of the girls, except Beca of course, were gathered in a circle in the living room, each sitting on a multitude of large cushions, ready for the night ahead. Fat Amy had made a deadly concoction for the night, and insisted that no other drink be consumed, unless she had made it. She filled each red solo cup to the brim, leaving the rest of the mixture in a large plastic bucket. As she filled the final cup for their absent captain, the girl trudged into the room. Stacie leapt up and launched herself at Beca, wrapping her legs around the tiny girl's waist in one remarkably coordinated movement.

"Becs! You're alive! I was worried after you didn't meet me for coffee today. I thought you must have died. As there is no other reason to not spend time with me." Beca smiled into her friend's hair, and chuckled to herself.

"I'm sorry Stace, it was just, well I'll tell you all about it later. I don't really want the girls knowing about it."

"Ooh intriguing." Stacie suddenly became aware that she had wrapped herself around Beca like a sloth, and that the others were probably staring. She untangled from Beca and pulled her to the spot she'd left empty beside her. Stacie noticed that Beca was still behaving normally, she was hoping that Aurora would have also rendered Beca speechless. It was just so embarrassing that she had been so spellbound. Little did Stacie know that a wonderful reaction would come soon enough. When Beca entered the room Aurora had felt her breath catch in her throat, and her pulse start to race. Standing a mere few paces away from her was the girl she had been unable to get out of her brain for the last few hours. It was _her_. The best one night stand of her life. She was dressed simply, in ripped black jeans, a tight black tank top and a loose fitting plaid shirt. Her eyes were rimmed with eyeliner and the piercings littering her ears gave the look an edginess. Aurora couldn't take her eyes off her. Ever oblivious, Beca had been too busy laughing at Stacie's antics to even realise. Daisy had noticed Aurora stiffen beside her, and that her eyes had gained an intensity that they had lacked before. Daisy felt her heart drop. Aurora liked Beca. Of course she did. Daisy felt some comfort in the thought that Beca was too interested in Chloe to so much as look at anyone else. She had convinced herself many times that this was the reason Beca showed no interested in Daisy. She found herself speaking, suddenly feeling the need to get Beca's attention

"Hey guys, this is my cousin, Aurora."

"Cousin?"

"Damn you got good genes in your family don't you."

"If I weren't so busy with all boyfriends and was less interested in meat and more in fish I'd be climbing you like a tree." Surprisingly it was Beca that interrupted Cynthia Rose and Fat Amy's remarks

"Guys. Please. I'm Beca, nice to meet you." She reached over and shook the girl's hand, unclear why she was suddenly being so formal. But the girl's hand felt somehow familiar, and she wanted to figure out where they knew each other from, or if she was imagining the whole thing.

"Aurora." The girl's name sounded like heaven to Beca's ears, a thick European accent seeming just as familiar as her hands.

"Have we met before? You seem familiar?" Beca was looking at Aurora, looking genuinely confused, and the older girl felt her heart drop. Beca hadn't even remembered her. Well, she would have to make her remember. Aurora clenched her jaw slightly and smiled at Beca

"Recently actually, briefly at a party I think. We were both pretty drunk." Aurora forced another smile and sat down beside Daisy once more. The freshman was staring bewilderedly at her, unable to comprehend why there was so much tension radiating off of her. A game of spin the bottle was started and any tension was swiftly forgotten. Aurora had made the mistake of asking why they were playing the game when they were all friends. Stacie was finally back to being her usual self and had made a comment about fluidity, and practise, rendering Aurora speechless. The rules were simple: either kiss the person (and not just a little peck, but property as Stacie kept reminding them) the bottle lands on, or down your drink. As no one wanted to drink more of Amy's disgusting concoction than necessary there were very few forfeits. Eventually it was Beca's turn, and the bottle landed on Aurora. Daisy felt her heart drop, she had so nearly been given the perfect opportunity to kiss her crush, but it was typical that her cousin was chosen by chance instead. Beca rolled her eyes a little, thinking it was ridiculous that the blonde beauty in front of her would choose her over Amy's drink. She was surprised, to say the least, when Aurora moved slowly towards her, clearly not forfeiting. The paid met in the middle of the circle, while the Bellas waited with baited breath. Aurora cupped Beca's jaw with one hand, and pulled her closer to her by the waist with her other hand. She felt Beca jump a little in surprise, before her hands found Aurora's waist. Both girls leaned in, closing their eyes and feeling their lips touch a second later. Aurora tried to restrain herself, not wanting to scare Beca off. The kiss was tentative at first, until Beca felt a throbbing in core, driving her to deepen the kiss. Her tongue slipped into Aurora's mouth, and it was eagerly met with Aurora's own tongue. The kiss was intense yet reserved, and when Beca reluctantly separated herself from Aurora she could see that the girl's pupils had darkened significantly, and she was sure that hers looked the same. She sat down feeling an overwhelming sense of déjà vu, and was so lost in her thoughts that she was oblivious to the hollering of her fellow Bellas.

Daisy felt close to tears. That was her kiss. She should have been the one kissing Beca. But instead Aurora got to do it, and Beca had kissed her back, her reluctance to finish had not been lost on Daisy. She tried to bite down her feelings and convince herself that it was just a game, and meant nothing. A few minutes later the pieces finally connected in Beca's brain, and bits and pieces of the night before started to flood back to her. She had been drinking with the Bellas, before they headed to a bar. She had danced with Stacie for a while, and then headed outside to the smoking area. She hated herself for it, but ever since Chloe left she had felt the overwhelming urge for a cigarette from time to time. In her drunken state she'd remembered cigarettes but no lighter. She'd asked to borrow the lighter of the beautiful girl next to her. The pair had started to talk, and before she knew it Beca was in the girl's apartment coming undone more times than she could count. Beca blushed more and more as she recalled where Aurora's hands had been, and how skilled she was with her tongue. Aurora caught Beca's eye, hoping that the blush had something to do with her. She had no idea how right she was.

The girls moved on to a game of truth or dare, as Fat Amy was getting restless, and playing dares always brought out the very worse in her, which was somehow a great idea to the drunken Bellas. The first few rounds were uneventful, until it was Aurora's go once more.

"Truth or dare?" Aurora's previous dare had involved hot sauce and an egg, so she was in no hurry to endure anything close to that again.

"Truth." Stacie smirked wickedly, speaking up before anyone else had the chance.

"Who was the last person you slept with? If you forfeit the hot sauce will seem like a walk in the park." Stacie smiled smugly to herself, she just needed to know if the beauty in front of her was at least a possibility for the hunter to experience in the future. Daisy was also curious, she wanted to know who the girl was that had so enthralled her cousin with just one night together. Aurora paled, she glanced at Beca, who grimaced but gave her a nod. The silent communication was clear, no I don't like this, but yes you can tell the Bellas the truth."

"The last person I slept with was Beca."


	18. Chapter 18

The room was filled with awkward silence for a agonising few moments, with the Bellas all staring at Beca in total disbelief. Daisy felt her jaw drop and couldn't bring herself to do anything about her obvious gaping. The silence was thankfully broken when Cynthia Rose managed to blink in awe and stutter out a mess of confused words.

"Lil B? Really? Damn. Wish I'd seen that coming. Could've tried—"

"Are you sure it was Shortstack? She's never shown any interest in girls? Well except one. But they're aca-married so it's different."

"You lost your lady v card? Thought Cynthia Rose was the only one…"

"Beca? You like girls?"

It was Daisy's bewildered line of questioning that snapped Beca out of her reverie, the other Bellas comments went unnoticed to Beca as she had been busy thinking about Aurora's tongue.

"I uh. Maybe? Not really sure yet." Beca shrugged sheepishly and waited for the floor to swallow her whole. She couldn't handle so much attention on her all at once. Beca was well aware of her sexuality but really didn't want to discuss it at that moment so figured a vague response and feigned confusion would end that particular conversation. She was too busy staring at the floor to notice Aurora smirking at her.

"Beca. You were certainly sure last night." Stacie cackled wickedly and started texting Beca. There were some conversations even she didn't want to have out loud.

 _Seriously?_

 _How the f did you manage that?_

 _She is PERFECT_

 _Like she is a threat to the hunter, and no one is_

 _Why?_

 _What about Chloe_

 _Like congrats that you got it on with the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, but STILL_

 _You basically cheated on Chloe_

 _How could you do that to her?_

 _We will be talking about this tomorrow_

Stacie looked up at Beca and saw the girl's brow furrow as she was reading the messages on her phone. She paused, typed for a few seconds and put the phone down before looking at Stacie with the most heart-breaking look she had seen in some time.

 _Chloe didn't want me._

 _I can't continue to pine after someone who will never love me back_

Stacie stared at her phone, feeling more confused as time went on, as she was absolutely certain that Chloe Beale was head over heels in love with Beca. She knew something must have happened to make Beca so completely wrong about Chloe's feelings, but that would have to wait for another day. Stacie forced herself to focus on the present and on helping out her friend, the poor idiot who managed to attract so much attention without so much as batting an eye.

"Guys, on that note, I think we should leave Beca in peace for the night. Even you blondie." Stacie gave Aurora a pointed look before raising one perfectly shaped eyebrow in Fat Amy's direction to stop her making any comments to aggravate Beca any further.

The Bellas all insisted on hugging Beca goodbye so they could each whisper something in her ear in an attempt to avoid Stacie's perfectly reasonable request to leave her alone.

"Damn Shawshank, you would catch the best fish in the sea."

"Please be safe."

"You should definitely go for round two, or I'll go for you."

"What about Chloe?"

"Please don't go for her."

Daisy's sad utterance got Beca's attention, and she looked at the freshman's devastated expression, trying to figure out why she looked so forlorn. Aurora appeared behind Daisy and pulled Beca into a tight embrace, making sure her lips ghosted Beca's ear as she spoke in the sultriest tone she could muster.

"If you want your mind blown again you know where to find me, and you haven't even touched the surface of what my tongue can really do."

Beca choked on air as the beautiful girl sauntered out the apartment, leaving her alone with Stacie.

"I know you're tired, grumpy and in no mood to do this now. But we're going to talk about the mess you've got yourself in. We're having this conversation right now, and if it takes all night then so be it."

Beca rolled her eyes at her friend and dragged herself, slightly overdramatically even on her standards, onto the couch. Once the pair had got settled, each leaving on an arm of the couch and adjusted the cushions to their liking, the dread talk left an awkward tension lingering in the room.

"I know you can be unbelievably oblivious sometimes, so I just want to check that we both have the same understanding of your situation."

"Stacie I don't—"

"You love Chloe. You always have, but only realised once she had fled the country."

"Chlo didn't flee—"

"FLED. To get away from her own feelings that were shattered once you moronically kissed Jesse, who you thought you liked."

"I really did think—"

"Jesse never knew you. He just liked the idea of you and wanted to version of you that he was trying to shape you into. But you wouldn't change, no matter how hard you both tried. Eventually you fully committed in the only way you could think of – you slept together and it was awful."

"I didn't hate it—"

"Ugh fine. It was mediocre. Happy now? So you got distracted when he was inside—"

"Stacie!"

"You're oddly prudish considering you were inside the most beautiful girl I've ever seen 24 hours ago. Anyway, my point is you weren't thinking of Jesse when you slept together. You were thinking of Chloe. And you've been thinking about her a lot over the last few months."

"I hate it when you're right."

"So always? Moving on, you texted Chloe gradually, trying to rebuild your relationship and completely ignore the fact that she disappeared and never told you why."

"Has she told you?"

"She didn't have to. The hunter always knows Bec."

"The hunter is stupid Stace."

"Don't be ridiculous, don't mock something just because you have never been honoured to experience it. While you were busy wasting away your sophomore year of college moping you accidentally built a reputation around campus through your music and generally vibe of being cool, aloof and oh so hot. Even if you are barely four feet tall. The fact you've become weirdly obsessed with running and the gym has definitely done wonders—"

"Stace."

"Right. Sorry. So things went as close to normal as possible, and she came to visit. That's when you truly lost your shit. You threw yourself at her – literally, when you first saw her again. You guys cried, you refused to let go and you fell asleep in each other's arms multiple times. Sickening, but adorable."

"We're not—"

"We, the bellas, tried forcing it. That's where we went wrong."

"You what?"

"We manipulated the drinking game questions, until we got impatient and played chicken. If we'd left things to develop in their own time maybe—"

"No Stace, that wasn't your fault. It was mine. I was the one who messed things up. I was the one who had to go and ruin things with my feelings. And kissing Chloe. Oh God and repeatedly telling her I liked her."

"Becs you did everything right, except the part when you didn't give her enough time to process.. and falling into bed with another girl. Although to be honest that part wasn't entirely your fault. We wanted to get your drunk to help you move on, but we didn't think it through, like at all. I'm so sorry Beca, if we hadn't meddled in the first place you wouldn't be in this position. I'm so so sorry—"

Stacie cut herself off mid sentence and crumpled into herself sobbing, her whole body shaking while Beca awkwardly tried to comfort her, eventually drawing herself into a gentle hug. Clearly some of Chloe's social awareness had finally rubbed off on her. The pair stayed like that for far longer than either would willingly admit, until they eventually moved into bed. Stacie held Beca that night, stroking her hair while the tiny DJ cried herself to sleep yet again. Stacie felt truly heartbroken for her friend, and at a complete loss as to how to move forward from this.

The next morning, in true Beca fashion, she literally ran away from the situation and into the gym at an ungodly hour. She worked her frustrations out on the cross trainer, the treadmill and the spin bike until eventually her muscles screamed at her to stop. Beca trudged back to her room, reluctantly showering before passing out soaking wet and wrapped in her towel.

None of the Bellas heard from Beca for the next week, as she distracted herself with mixing, exercising and sleeping. She stayed clear of any alcohol as she was painfully aware of the damage her last drinking spree had caused. There were ramifications from that night which she was still ignoring and knew would have to be faced sooner rather than later.

Beca had just finished a particularly strenuous workout when her mind wandered to Daisy's expression when she had found out about Aurora. The girl had looked so upset. Something inside Beca, that she would never willingly admit to, started to feel a little guilty. She pulled her phone out of her arm band. She also hated that she had become one of those people that had such an accessory, but it had become essential with the amount of cardio she had become accustomed to doing.

 _Beca: Hey, Starbucks in in hour?_

Beca cursed herself for walking home for being so abrupt. The poor freshman probably thought someone else had her phone, seeing as Beca had made no effort to get to know her in the past. Beca rolled her eyes internally, clearly heartbreak, or whatever the hell she was going through, had made her one of those sensitive and borderline thoughtful people that she hated. Ugh. She welcomed the relief her scalding hot shower brought, taking the time to lather her hair with slightly more shampoo than necessary, just letting the warmth rush over her. It was one of the few times she ever felt at peace.

Beca had dried herself and pulled on some faded black skinny jeans and a dark grey slightly oversized sweater when she realised Daisy had replied.

 _Daisy: Hey Beca! How are you? That sounds good, meet you there at 11?_

 _Beca: Yup._

Beca washed her face, taking more care than she would have ever done a few months ago. A decent skin care routine was one of the few positive things that she had developed recently. Beca proceeded to apply her usual make up, completely unaware of how the subtly smoky eye shadow with the slightly smudged eyeliner made her eyes pop and would catch the attention of most passers by.

While Beca had been absent mindedly preparing herself for coffee and the rest of the day Daisy had been alternating between overwhelming excitement and complete panic. When her phone had gone off she had been been lying in bed, she had lifted the device above her slightly and had dropped the device directly onto her nose in surprise. She couldn't fathom the idea of THE Beca Mitchell initiating any form of communication between them, even less why she wanted to meet in person. She knew the sophomore had no interest in her romantically, but she couldn't help that her heart started beating that much faster when she thought about her.

Daisy arrived first, getting the pair a table and waiting nervously whilst pretending to be doing something on her phone to pass the time. She thankfully didn't have to wait long, as a few minutes later Beca strode up to her, coffee in her hand, looking stunning as ever. Daisy's breath caught in her throat as she gave Beca a not so subtle once over. She was breath-taking in a casual outfit of black heeled boots, black ripped skinny jeans, a dark grey sweater and an oversize black leather jacket. Beca noticed the effort Daisy had made with her outfit of knew high boots, a short skirt and a tight fitted sweater, with her hear flowing around her shoulders. Beca did her best to behave as she imagined any regular person would and hugged Daisy awkwardly. The freshman was too overwhelmed with Beca's perfume and the fact they were hugging at all to realise that it was so awkward.

"Beca! Hi!"

"Hey Daisy."

The pair sat down as Daisy looked expectantly at Beca, clearly wondering why they were meeting in the first place.

"So I wanted to meet in person so I could uh apologise."

"You what? Why?" Daisy blinked at her, doing a remarkable impression of a goldfish.

"I uh realised that I haven't really treated you the best over the last few months and I'm truly sorry for that. I've been an asshole this year, you've only really seen me at my worst and that's not ideal I know."

"What do you mean? We haven't interacted enough for you to do anything?" Daisy didn't mean to sound so bitter but couldn't help her tone heavily implying it all the same.

"Well you have always tried to befriend me, and I never even bothered getting to know you. And then there was the incident with your cousin.." Beca trailed off, blushing as her eyes became fascinated with a speck of dirt on the table.

"Incident?" Daisy smirked as she felt Beca become more uncomfortable at her response.

"You know, the time I—" Beca paused to look at Daisy, and immediately stopped talking when she saw the mirth in the younger girl's eyes.

"Oh I see. You were fucking with me. So you do have a sense of humour after all."

Now it was Beca's turn to smirk as she felt Daisy grow shy once more.

"I just. I wanted to impress you all year and nothing has worked, so I figured you might as well get to know the real me and all."

"Real you? What have you been hiding from me Daisy?"

"I. Uh. Well—"

"Oh god there's no need for you to panic on me. If we're going to be friends you're gonna have to learn to understand my humour."

"Friends?" Daisy winced as she heard the thrill tone her voice had taken, it had become more like a squeak than ever before.

"Yup. F.R.I.E.N.D.S." Beca spelled it out slowly as if concerned that the freshman was unfamiliar with the word. The girl was in fact trying to ignore the twinge in her chest at being friendzoned, but quickly put it aside to focus on getting out actual words to respond.

"Okay. But you're going to need to be nicer to me." Beca smiled at this, glad that the girl was finally becoming comfortable enough around her to make jokes.

"Fine. So long as you stop doing that whole staring thing."

"What? I don't do that. At all." Daisy felt her cheeks redden as she struggled to meet Beca's gaze.

"I have eyes you know. Just because I don't comment doesn't mean I'm not aware of you just looking into my eyes all the time. Not a massive fan of it to be honest. Oh God that sounded bad. I just mean dial back on the prolonged eye contact."

"I can do that." Daisy cringed as she realised that Beca may not be aware of her feelings, but still had recognised that something was up. Beca's offering of friendship had broken the ice so to speak, and the pair had ended up talking for another hour before going their separate ways.

Over the next few months Beca slowly developed a routine that was helping her move on from the beautiful redhead she no longer allowed herself to think about. She blocked out all thoughts of Chloe by starting every day with a gruelling workout followed by a shower and either a shift at the radio station or class depending on the day. She made sure to see at least one of the Bellas every day and they all we drank together at least once or twice a week.

Gradually Beca had become quite the charmer, far more interested in others than she had ever been before, even if it was just due to the distraction it provided. Nevertheless, the DJ had gone from being awkward and borderline rude to engaging and devastatingly attractive. She had seemed to become aware of her own attractiveness and had gained a level of confidence that she exuded effortlessly. Beca was now quietly determined and had become almost unnervingly focused on anything she set her mind to. First it was to widen her reach on the air, which she succeeded in doing once she set up youtube and soundcloud accounts where she started uploading mixes on a weekly basis. The hits both sites were getting had ensured the listening stats for the radio station had quadrupled since the start of the year.

While Beca was making mixes like there was no tomorrow it was helping her vent any and all emotion she was feeling. She was able to completely compartmentalise Chloe oriented thoughts and plough through her day. Beca had gained an alarming amount of energy, which she could only alleviate through exercise, her daily cardio in the day and more often than not night as well seemed to calm her. Beca wasn't drowning herself in alcohol, but her frequent outings with the Bellas were something she had grown to truly look forward to.

Beca hadn't slept with Aurora since their first and only night together, but from time to time Stacie would catch a guy stumbling dazed from Beca's room in the middle of the night, sometimes it would be a girl, it really didn't matter. Beca wasn't trying to sleep around by any means, but she had started to crave physical contact lately that just couldn't be relieved by her trusty vibrator.

Suddenly the ICCAs were coming up and Bella rehearsals were in full swing. Beca had created an unbelievable set for the girls that was a seemingly impossible mix of vulnerability and hope that seemed to reflect Beca's own state of mind perfectly. Starting the set with Years and Years' "If you're over me" was a bold choice but it worked flawlessly. The theme of the set was heartbreak but also self-confidence. The songs allowed every audience member to recognise a time they had been rejected, but also that they deserved someone to truly love and appreciate them. Although Beca had almost unwittingly bared her soul through this set a very select few could see what was truly going on. Such a powerful set won the Bellas the ICCAs for a second time in as many years.

As they stood on the stage hugging each other excitedly, Beca felt tears coming to her eyes. She had come full circle back to last year, when she had unknowingly been at a crossroads in her life. This time she hoped that she would have the chance to make things right and repair the most important friendship of her life, if she ever got the chance to that is. Beca subconsciously scanned the crowd for the one person she truly wanted to see, and felt her whole body jolt when her eyes met those impossibly blue orbs for the first time in months.


End file.
